


Cohorts in Crime

by bjfic_archivist



Category: Queer as Folk (US)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2003-07-28
Updated: 2005-07-14
Packaged: 2018-12-27 04:48:05
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 45
Words: 140,624
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12073824
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bjfic_archivist/pseuds/bjfic_archivist
Summary: The age difference between Brian and Justin disappears and two histories are combined into one.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Note from IrishCaelan, the archivist: this story was originally archived at [The Brian/Justin Fanfiction Archive](http://fanlore.org/wiki/Brian_Justin_Fanfiction_Archive). To preserve the archive, I began importing its works to the AO3 as an Open Doors-approved project in September 2017. I posted announcements, but may not have reached everyone. If you are (or know) this creator, please contact me using the e-mail address on [The Brian/Justin Fanfiction Archive collection profile](http://archiveofourown.org/collections/bjfic/profile).

One more year. That was all he had to do Just survive one more year of St. James and he was free. 

For two and a half months. 

Then he would have to repeat the process once again. Thankfully at the end of that year it really would be his finally year. He would be finished with St. James Academy once and for all. More importantly, he would be finished with Chris Hobbs who had been the bane of his existence since they were in kindergarten. Pre-school even, if you counted the time Chris had shoved him into a mud puddle to make Caitlyn Sanders think he would tough. 

At that precise moment it was Alice Llanfair who was Hobbs’ audience as he slammed Justin into a nearby locket. 

“Fuck you, Hobbs!” Justin shouted after the other teen as he knelt down to pick up his scattered text books. 

“If I hear you using language like that again, Mr. Taylor, I will be forced to give you a detention,” Mr. Dickson said as he passed by Justin without so much as a glance. 

“Yes, sir,” the blonde grumbled. When he was sure that Dickson was out of earshot he added, “Asshole,” under his breath. 

Which was how Justin Taylor began his junior year. 

And if his other year at the school were nay indication, it was how his entire year would progress It was something that Justin had become quite used to over the years. An inevitability when you chose art over sports. Football and soccer in particular. 

“You know, one day karma is going to get its hands on Chris Hobbs and he’ll be fat and bald,” a girl named Daphne spoke up as she passed by Justin a few moments after, obviously having witnessed the entire thing. “Dickson, too.” 

Justin smiled at the comment and continued on to his first period math class. He managed to get all of five feet when he rounded a corner and walked straight into a solid chest belonging to another student who was at least half a head taller than he was. 

“Sorry,” Justin mumbled, skirting around the other boy. He glanced up quickly, offering an apologetic smile and caught sight of a pair of cat-like hazel eyes. 

“Don’t make a habit of it, Sunshine.” 

Before Justin could say anything else the other boy was gone, disappearing around the corner. After a moment, Justin shook his head to dispel the look he had seen in the other teen’s eyes. Those hazel orbs were, without a doubt, the most intense eyes Justin had ever seen. He couldn’t force them from his mind, though. Even before roll call was finished, Justin was busily sketching them on a blanket piece of paper in his notebook. 

Throughout the day, more sketches of the mysterious pair of eyes found their way onto scrap pieces of paper. A sensuous pair of lips and a sharp-bridged nose also found their way into the impromptu sketchbook. Features that Justin hadn’t been aware of seeing, but that were present nonetheless. Justin knew that he was not imagining them because they appeared to fit together seamlessly. 

Rationally, Justin knew that what he was doing was incredibly juvenile. He had seen the kid for all of two seconds and already he was obsessing over him He hadn’t even taken the other teen in as a whole and he had developed a crush. A crush on someone whose mane he didn’t know and who he had only gotten the briefest glimpse of. 

Still, there was something about those eyes that Justin felt drawn to. 

~*~*~ 

It wasn’t even noon and already he’d had enough of the school. He’d been perfectly happy at his old high school. It had been a public one which meant that the teachers didn’t care what he did and he didn’t have to wear a god awful uniform. Unfortunately, the place had its upsides and he couldn’t just write St. James Academy off. The private school was his best chance at a college scholarship and a way out of his parents’ house. 

That reason alone was enough to keep him at the school. 

The fact that the board was paying his tuition so that he could play soccer for them was also an advantage. 

Yet despite the fact that he was wearing the exact same uniform as the rest of them, Brian knew that they were all looking down at him. He wasn’t suburban royalty and they could tell instantly. 

Brian didn’t care, though. He was there to play soccer for two years then get the hell out of Pittsburgh. It didn’t matter what they thought of him. Brian didn’t want to make friends with any of them. Girls didn’t interest him and the boys were all assholes. 

There had been one kid who hadn’t looked at him as though he weren’t an alien invader. The blonde one he’d bumped into on his way to his first class. All he’d really seen of the kid was the top of his head and a pair of bright blue eyes. Eyes that didn’t narrow at the sight of him or scowl in his direction. 

Caught off guard at the thought of someone who might actually not hate him, Brian had bolted. Even his parents didn’t look at him like that. Brian wasn’t a fool. He knew that the only reason he was around was that his mother was a religious fanatic and the Catholic church did not allow abortions. If it wasn’t for that, he wouldn’t have been born. 

It was almost a relief when it was time for his fourth period gym class. Gym would be a chance for him to release all sorts of pent up emotions. Especially since most schools started to year with football. Aside from jerking off, sports were the only way he had of relieving tension. At sixteen, there was no doubt in Brian’s mind that he liked dick rather than pussy. The only problem was that it was hard to find a partner since he was still in high school and didn’t have a way to get to the gay mecca that was on the other side of the city. That meant many lonely nights with himself and his right hand. 

As he wandered into the locker room, Brian was surprised to see the blonde already changing into a pair of regulation gym shorts. The other kid seemed equally shocked to see him as well and ended up getting his arms stuck in the sleeves of his white button down which he had been pulling over his head rather than unbuttoning the entire thing. Brian gave the other teen a tongue in cheek smirk as he passed by him, moving towards the locker he had been assigned. 

Brian was secretly relieved when he found out that his locker was a little secluded from the others. He could change without anyone noticing the fading bruises that littered his rib cage. 

“Hey there,” the blonde kid said as he rounded the corner to stand beside him. “I hope I didn’t hit you too hard. I’ve been told I have a rock hard head.” 

“A pip-squeak like you?” Brian shot back, toeing of his scuffed up runner so that he could change out of his pants. 

“You’re pretty scrawny yourself,” the kid shot back, grinning over at him. 

“I’m not scrawny, I’m a soccer player,” Brian clarified. “There’s a difference.” 

Blondie shot him a mega watt smile, his entire face lighting up. “The difference being...?” 

Momentarily distracted by the bright smile, Brian fumbled for an answer. “The difference being that I have more endurance than you could ever hope to have.” 

“Touché.” 

“You got a name?” Brian asked, hoisting his shorts up over his narrow hips. 

“Justin Taylor,” Blue Eyes told him, holding a hand out towards Justin. 

Brian slipped his hand into the Justin’s and gave it a firm squeeze. “Brian Kinney.” 

“Ah, the soccer phenom,” Justin said with a nod, squeezing Brian’s hand before he let it go. “I heard my mom talking about you. She’s on the school board. They’re hoping you can help our team to not suck.” 

“That bad?” Brian winced as he shut his locker and began to move towards the main area of the change room and the exit. 

Justin followed after him. “On a good day.” 

As he had expected, less than ten minutes later the class had been divided into two and the football game began. Unfortunately, Justin wasn’t on his team so he couldn’t talk to the kid. Instead he was stuck listening to Chris Hobbs’ pompous talk when they weren’t running plays. On more than one occasion, Brian caught sight of Chris shoving Justin to the ground when the other teen didn’t even have the ball. Then there was the fact that it was a touch football game and not a tackle one. 

So the next time he noticed Chris about to send Justin tumbling to the ground, Brian intervened, knocking the other kid to the ground first. 

And was paid back in full two plays later with a solid kick to the back of his knee that sent him careening into Justin and to the ground. 

“What do you think you’re doing, Hobbs?” Coach Gibbons roared as he stormed out onto the field. “This is a touch football game. That means you don’t go kicking someone in the knee. Now get off the field. This game is over for you.” 

The look Chris shot in his and Justin’s direction was a lethal one that left nothing up to interpretation. 

“As the founding member, let me be the first to welcome you to Chris Hobbs’ shit list,” Justin mumbled, smirking up at Brian for a moment as they watched the other teen jog off the field. “You’ll get your t-shirt and handbook in the mail.” 

“You’re a freak, Taylor,” Brian laughed, playfully shoving the blonde. 

All that Justin did was flash him a wide smile and jog away towards the rest of his team. 

~*~*~ 

“So are you as ready to get out of this hell hole as I am?” Justin asked as he picked a slice of pepperoni off his pizza. School pizza wasn’t the best, but it was better than most things on the menu. Considering what his parents paid for tuition, Justin would have thought the school would be able to hire a descent cafeteria staff. 

The only hesitance in Brian’s response was because his mouth was full of pop at the time. “I’ve been ready since before I even got here. You pansy-assed private school kids aren’t exactly my classmates of choice.” 

“At least you haven’t had to put up with them your entire life,” Justin pointed out. “I’ll probably be stuck with them until the day I die. It’s very hard to get out of the world of the WASP.” 

“That’s gotta suck,” Brian commented as he picked up his own slice of pizza. 

Justin nodded his head in agreement as he swallowed a mouthful of pizza. “You’re telling me. Which is why I have an escape plan. I’m going to be an artist. They’re allowed to be eccentric and very un-WASP-like. So while they’re all stuck behind desks working for daddy, I’ll be free and hopefully living in New York or Paris.” 

Brian grinned over at the other teen. “Given this a lot of thought, have you?” 

Justin looked positively devious as he smiled. “Whatever gave you that idea?” 

~*~*~ 

Brian paused when he heard someone jogging up behind him and glanced over his shoulder. He stopped completely when he saw that it was Justin who was making a rapid descent of the steps at the front of the school. 

“You in a rush to get out of here?” Justin teased when Justin fell in step beside him. 

“Every damn day,” the blonde confirmed, straightening his backpack. “Besides, I just got my first car and I’m dying to break her in. Wanna come?” 

He considered Justin’s invitation for roughly half a second before nodding his head. “What type of car is it?” 

His only response was a wide, toothy grin that Brian was fast becoming familiar with. 

~*~*~ 

Coming to a stop in front of his baby, Justin held his arms out wide. The black Wrangler was a few years old, but Justin could have cared less. It was his. Sixteen years of birthday, Christmas and hospital stay checks provided him with the necessary money to put a down payment on the jeep and cover his lease and insurance. In six months, though, he would run out of money unless he managed to find a job. 

“Brian, meet Rigby. Rigby, Brian,” Justin said, indicating between the other teen and his jeep. “Now that you two are introduced, let’s go.” 

“Is Rigby a birthday present from your parents?” Brian asked as he climbed into the topless jeep. 

Justin shook his head, another grin springing to life. “Nope. She was a birthday present to myself. I almost drained my bank account buying her. But it was worth it.” 

Still not entirely used to driving stick, things were a little jerky as he pulled out of the parking lot. Things got a bit smoother when they made it onto the street and by the time they got to the outer reaches of Pittsburgh the jeep was flying. Justin was going at least twenty miles over the speed limit with the radio blaring Moby’s latest single. After a hellish day of being stuck in class the ride was exactly what he needed. 

“Hey! Do you have your license yet?” Justin shouted over the music. 

“Yeah, why?” 

Justin steered the jeep over to the side of the road and put it in park. “You’re turn.” 

“You sure?” Brian asked, looking at him as though he were insane. 

“I wouldn’t be asking if I wasn’t sure,” Justin told him, already unbuckling his seatbelt. 

Hopping out of the jeep, Justin didn’t give him any other choice but to take over the driving responsibilities. At first Brian was hesitant, but as soon as he started down the highway he was much more at ease. Justin, on the other hand, was slightly jealous that Rigby seemed to like Brian more than him. 

~*~*~ 

Until that afternoon, Brian had never thought of driving a jeep. He’d always pictured himself in something fast and sporty like a Ferrari or a Porsche. But the jeep was even better. Brian felt as though he were flying as he sped down the highway amidst Justin’s excited shouts and snippets of song lyrics sung along with the radio. 

“You are one lucky kid, Sunshine,” Brian announced as he brought the jeep to a more reasonable speed just outside of the city. “I’d kill to have a car like this. Fuck, I’d kill just to have a car.” 

Rigby chose that moment to give a slight lurch. 

“I don’t think she likes that.” 

Brian leaned forward and lightly patted the dashboard. “Sorry, Rigby. I didn’t mean it.” 

Not wanting Justin to see where he lived, Brian drove them back to the school. He didn’t doubt that Justin already knew he wasn’t a trust fund heir, but knowing and seeing were to completely different things and Brian wasn’t up to testing his theory. Even more basically, Brian didn’t want to have anything to do with his home life. In truth, it wasn’t even a home. Just a house. A house that Brian longed to escape from permanently. A year and a half and he would be free. Even if he’d had the money, Brian was only sixteen and wouldn’t be allowed to live on his own until he was eighteen. 

“Why are we going back to the school?” Justin asked when he realized where they were going. 

Brian shrugged his shoulders as he pulled onto St. James and, a few moments later, the front of the school. “This seemed like the best place to go since I don’t know where you live.” 

“You could have driven to your house.” 

“And have my mother throw a fit when she sees me driving a jeep? No thanks,” Brian laughed while he hopped out of the vehicle. 

“Than I’ll drive you home,” Justin volunteered. 

Which earned him another shake of the head from Brian. “It’s not that far. I’ll just take the bus.” 

Justin seemed confused, but didn’t say anything else. HE climbed out of the passenger side of the jeep and handed Brian his backpack. 

“Later,” Brian said, slipping his backpack on over his shoulder. “Thanks for the ride.” 

“Later,” Justin echoed. 

Brian stayed where he was on the sidewalk as he watched Justin pull away. He waited until the jeep had rounded the corner before making his way to the bus stop and the long ride home.


	2. Cohorts in Crime

For the past hour he’d been lying on his bed staring up at the patterns the streetlights were making on his ceiling. He shifted slightly, a small cry passing his lips as he jarred a bruise on his left shoulder blade. He refused to cry, though. To let any tears fall. That would mean that his father had won. 

There was no way that Brian was ever going to let his father win. 

Instead he shook, his entire body trembling as he willed himself not to cry. 

Moving slowly so as not to aggravate his shoulder, Brian crawled towards the end of his bed where his history text book was half sticking out of his backpack. Hopefully the plight of the slaves in the Southern states would make his situation seem less dreary. Of course the slaves had on advantage over him; their parents would actually give a shit when something bad happened to them. A concept which seemed foreign to Jack and Joan Kinney. 

It probably would have been better if Jack had managed to convince his wife to get that abortion nearly seventeen years ago. 

“Phone!” Claire shouted as she burst into his room without bothering to knock. “And don’t take too long. I’m waiting for Brad to call.” 

Brian rolled his eyes and carefully sat up, being sure not to move his shoulder too quickly. “Fucking cunt,” he grumbled under his breath when she slammed the door after her. 

His phone, which had to be at least twenty years old, was buried under a couple of t-shirts and took a moment to find. There was only one person who had his number so Brian didn’t even bother to ask who it was. 

“What do you want, Taylor?” 

“To live in Paris as a starving artist but that’s besides the point,” Justin sighed dramatically. 

Brian snorted at the comment as he sat propped up against the headboard. “You would never be able to stand being a starving artist. You like to eat too much.” 

“Just stomp all over my dreams, why don’t you.” 

“The point of the call,” Brian prompted, knowing that Justin had a tendency to get off track. 

Justin made a startled noise, as though remembering that he actually did have a point. 

“Are all you artists so absent-minded?” Brian taunted, earning him another laugh from the blonde. “Get on with it, Taylor.” 

It was not hard to imagine Justin rolling his eyes at his comment. “Have you started history yet?” 

“I have my history book open, but I haven’t officially started it,” Brian informed him, absently nudging the text with his foot. 

“Good. I’m coming to get you so be ready,” Justin told him, not giving Brian a choice in the matter. 

Not that it stopped him from arguing. 

“You don’t know where I live,” Brian protested, scrubbing a hand over his face. 

Again, the eye roll appeared in Brian’s mind. “You know, Bri, they have these wonderful things called telephone books that tell you exactly where a person lives. And since I know your last name is Kinney and your dad’s name is Jack, it shouldn’t be too hard to figure out.” 

“How about I just meet you somewhere instead?” Brian suggested quickly, not wanting Justin anywhere near his house. Not when Jack was liable to go on another drunken rampage at any given moment. He didn’t want Justin to know anything about that part of his life. 

“Is something wrong?” Justin asked him, worry creeping into his voice. 

“No, nothing’s wrong, I’d just rather meet you somewhere else,” Brian insisted, already stuffing his text book into his backpack. “I’ll meet you at the library, all right?” 

“Yeah, sure,” Justin consented somewhat reluctantly. “Later.” 

“Later.” 

Brian had barely even hung up his phone before grabbing up his back and jumping off the bed. The library didn’t close till eleven and Jack would be passed out by then so when he got out of the house he would be free for the rest of the night. So Brian was extremely quiet as he crept down the hallway towards the front of the house, not wanting to bring Jack’s wrath upon himself a second time that night. 

“Get back here, Sonnyboy!” Jack shouted as Brian slammed the door shut. 

“Not fucking likely,” Brian growled as he sprinted across the lawn and towards the bus stop a block and a half away. 

~*~*~ 

Justin stood leaning against Rigby while he waited for Brian to show up. He had already been inside the library and knew that the other teen wasn’t there. Not that it was surprising considering Brian had to rely on the bus in order to get around. Which was why Justin didn’t understand why Brian would let him pick him up at his house. It would be easier and quicker. 

Only for some reason, Brian didn’t want him anywhere near his house. 

The two had known each other for a month and although Brian had been over to his house a few times, Justin had never even set foot on Brian’s block. He had a feeling that it had something to do with the soccer player’s neighbourhood. It was no secret at St. James that Brian came from a lower middle class area of Pittsburgh and that the only reason he was at the school was for his soccer abilities. So to the other students, Brian was nothing. A good looking nothing, but a nothing nonetheless. 

Not to Justin, though. 

Justin liked Brian because he was interesting. He was sarcastic and unapologetic and didn’t care what other people thought of him. 

“Hey there, Sunshine,” Brian said as he jogged up to the jeep. “Been waiting long?” 

“Five minutes maybe,” Justin shrugged, pushing himself away from the jeep and grabbing his backpack off the hood. 

Right from the start Justin noticed that there was something off about the way Brian was walking. His body seemed incredibly tense even though his demeanor was very laid-back. Obviously something had happened and that something was the reason Brian didn’t want him anywhere near his house. Only Justin wasn’t a fool. He also wasn’t blind and had seen the dark bruises that appeared on the other teen’s body far too frequently for the offseason. 

Justin wasn’t about to bring any attention to it, though. The bruises weren’t bad enough to cause Brian any serious pain, at least not that he could tell. But Justin only had his observations to go on. Only Brian knew for sure just how bad it really was. 

“So what part did you get stuck with?” Justin asked as the pair headed into the public library. 

Reaching the door first, Brian held it open for Justin to enter. “The role of slavery in the Civil War. What about you?” 

“Western expansion.” Justin was silent for a moment then shook his head in disbelief. “Remind me again why we have to learn about a war that happened over a hundred years before we were even born.” 

“‘Cause they enjoy torturing us,” Brian reminded him, carefully shifting his bag on his shoulder. 

“Touché.” 

~*~*~ 

“Boys, the library will be closing in a few minutes so you’ll have to pack up your things,” the librarian murmured before moving onto the next table. 

Arching an eyebrow, Brian reached across the table and grabbed hold of Justin’s left wrist and flipped it over so that he could see the other teen’s watch. “Fuck me, it actually is eleven.” 

“No swearing, young man.” 

Brian and Justin looked at each other and burst out laughing, the sound echoing loudly through the silent building. The librarian shot them a furious glare and the two giggling teens shoved their notes and text books into their bags before all but running out of the library. Their mini-projects had been done for a while and they had been talking quietly. Nothing important or life altering, just mindless chatter that still managed to relay all sorts of information about their lives and accumulated knowledge. 

“You wanna take Rigby out for a spin?” Justin asked as they descended the steps of the library. 

For a moment, Brian hesitated, but then nodded his head. The longer he stayed out, the less chance he had of running into Jack. “Sure She probably missed my expert touch.” 

“Hey! I’ve gotten better!” Justin protested as he tossed his bag into the backseat. 

“Sure you have, Sunshine,” Brian drawled, catching the keys as Justin tossed them to him. 

Grinning ferally, Brian tore away from the library with a squeal of tires and an excited yell from Justin. The library was in a quieter part of the city so there were no other cars about to enforce the speed limit, allowing Brian to give Rigby a god run. 

“You feeling adventurous today?” 

Glancing over at him with his preternatural grin firmly in place, Justin arched an eyebrow. “Depends on if what you’ve got in mind is dangerous for Rigby’s health.” 

“Not in the least,” Brian assured him, already altering their course to his chosen destination. “So, you game?” 

“I’m game for anything,” Justin told him, bouncing in his seat slightly to get comfortable. “Where are we going anyway?” 

~*~*~ 

Finding himself on Liberty Avenue was the last thing he had expected when he called Brian up earlier that night. However, he was there. The mythical Liberty Avenue; gay mecca of Pittsburgh. As Brian pulled to a stop at the side of the road, Justin felt himself tensing, unsure of the reason Brian had brought them there. 

“Why are we here?” Justin asked as he slowly unfastened his seatbelt. 

Brian scanned the landscape with his hawk-like gaze. “I’m not sure. I just always wanted to come here. See what the big deal is all about.... Get a feel for my future playground.” 

And with that profound yet casual statement, Brian climbed out of the jeep. 

Leaving Justin alone and in shock. There was no mistaking what Brian had just revealed If Liberty Avenue was going to be his playground it was sure obvious that he wasn’t looking for female partners. 

“You coming or not, Sunshine?” Brian asked, leaning against the side of the jeep and peering at Justin through the open window. 

~*~*~ 

Initially, Brian was unsure of what Justin’s response would be. He knew that he was putting himself out on a line by taking them to Liberty, but it was something he felt that he could share with Justin. In truth, Brian knew that Justin was the only one he could trust with that revelation. 

So when Justin climbed out of the jeep, Brian released a loud breath, confident that he hadn’t made a mistake. 

“My father would disown me if he ever found out that I was here,” Justin announced as he crossed over to where Brian stood and together the teens crossed the busy street. 

“Mine didn’t even want me born so I’ve got one up on you,” Brian shot back, barely able to resist the urge to stare openly at a badly dressed and even more horribly proportioned drag queen in a ratty platinum wig. “Besides, just because you end up on Liberty Avenue doesn’t mean you’re queer.” 

Just because he was gay, Brian didn’t want Justin to feel uncomfortable. The only reason he had waited so long to actually go was because the idea of going on his own scared him shitless so he had brought Justin with him. 

“It does in this case,” Justin said just as casually as Brian had earlier. 

Acting as though he had known all along, Brian nodded his head. “Then I say it’s time we experienced what this place has to offer.” 

“And just how are we going to get into a bar, Bri? We’re sixteen not twenty-one,” Justin pointed out, acting as the voice of reason. 

A voice which Brian had been ignoring for as long as he could remember. 

“Ye of little faith,” he scowled good-naturedly, grabbing hold of Justin’s hand and dragging him in the direction of a bar called Woody’s, a place which sounded promising for a sixteen year old queer. 

~*~*~ 

“I can’t believe I let you talk me into this,” Justin groaned as he was attempting to squeeze through the washroom window of the bar Brian had chosen for them. 

Still outside and standing on a trashcan next to him, Brian swatted Justin’s jean-clad rear. “Someone’s gotta teach you how to live a little, Sunshine Since I’m the only outsider you know, that makes it my job to educate you.” 

Justin wiggled and squirmed, trying to pull himself through the narrow opening which seemed to have a very firm grip on his ass. 

“You need to lose some weight from that bubble butt of yours,” Brian commented, hitting Justin’s bottom for the second time. 

“Hey! What do you think you’re doing?!” 

Justin’s head shot up and his gaze landed on the door where a very large man was standing, hands on his hips. It was quite obvious that he was not amused by Justin’s attempts to gain entrance through the window. 

“Pulling me out now would be a very good thing,” Justin singsonged, digging his knees into the side of the building to give himself the leverage he needed to propel himself backwards. 

“What’s going on?” Brian demanded as he put his hands on Justin’s hips to help pull him out of the window. 

“Fucking twink! Get the fuck out of here!” 

That time the voice was loud enough for Brian to hear and he yanked on Justin’s jeans with even more force. 

~*~*~ 

“Remind me again why I let you talk me into these things?” Justin demanded as he and Brian entered a diner just down the street from Woody’s. 

Brian shrugged his shoulders, grin firmly planted on his face. “Because you’re incredibly gullible.” 

“I resent that,” Justin pouted, hitting Brian across the stomach with the back of his hand. 

“Don’t worry about it, Sunshine, I still like you even though you’re gullible,” Brian assured him and slung an arm across Justin’s shoulders, guiding them towards an empty booth. “I know a guy who can get us some ID’s so next time we can go in through the front door.” 

“Interesting concept,” Justin snickered as he plopped down onto the booth. 

Brian smirked in his direction and picked up his menu, scanning the contents for something to eat. He hadn’t eaten much at dinner and was starving by that point. He had ten bucks on him and thankfully the prices were cheap enough so that he would be able to afford a whole mean instead of just a plate of fries. 

“Aren’t you two up a little late?” a wildly dressed woman with bright red hair asked as she appeared at their table, pen and pad in hand. 

“It’s not even midnight,” Brian pointed out. 

The waitress held up her hands in a defensive posture. “Easy there, kiddo. It was just an observation.” Before either of them could protest, she had scooted Justin over and sat down next to him. “So which one of you is going to tell me what two little boys are doing here so late at night? On a school night for that matter.” 

“Getting something to eat,” Brian said, waving the menu back and forth in front of her face. “So can we order or what?” 

“Don’t get fresh with me, kiddo,” she said, pointing her pen at him. Then she sat back, holding pen to paper. “So order already.” 

Brian shot her a glare for good measure then ordered a cheeseburger, fries and a chocolate shake. Justin ordered the same thing yet unlike Brian he had a smile on his face the entire time. 

“You’re not as tough as you may like to think you are,” the waitress said to Brian as she rose to her feet and headed towards the kitchen when he did. 

“You wanna tell me what that was all about?” Justin asked once the woman was out of earshot. “You completely freaked out over nothing.” 

Brian leaned back in his seat, scrubbing his hands over his face. “Tonight has just been a little....” 

“Yeah,” Justin agreed with a nod and a slight smile. “This definitely wasn’t what I was expecting when I called you tonight.” 

“Life rarely ever goes the way you want it to,” Brian shrugged absently. 

“Here you go, boys. Chocolate milkshakes,” the waitress said as she set the two glasses down between them. “Your food’ll be here in a minute.” 

Then Brian felt a strong grip on his shoulder, fingers digging into his bruise and couldn’t contain the cry that rose up in his throat. He shied away from the touch and instinctively slid out of the booth before bolting from the diner. Brian didn’t know why he was running, only that he had to get out of there as soon as possible, before either of them wised up to what had happened. 

“Brian!” Justin shouted as Brian was in the middle of crossing the street. 

Ignoring him, Brian continued on, wanting to get to a bus stop and get away so that he wouldn’t have to talk about what had just happened. If he was lucky, by the next morning Justin would have forgotten about it. Of course, Brian was rarely lucky. 

“Brian, stop!” the blonde tried a second time. “Will you slow down! Brian, the jeep’s the other way.” 

“I’m taking the bus home,” Brian called over his shoulder, not slowing his pace in the least. 

“But your bag’s in Rigby,” Justin reminded him, his voice sounding closer this time. 

So Brian sped up. “Just leave it there. I’ll grab it there in the morning. Don’t worry about it.” 

“Brian, come on. Slow down and tell me what’s going on,” Justin demanded as he latched onto Brian’s arm, bringing the other teen to a halt. “What was that all about?” 

“Can we just not talk about it?” Brian pleaded, forcing his gaze onto Justin’s. “Pretend that it didn’t happen?” 

Justin seemed to hesitate for a moment then slowly nodded his head. “For now, Bri. But if something else like this happens I’m not going to let it go quite so easily. Got it?” 

“Yeah, whatever,” Brian sighed, the creeping tension fading from his shoulders. 

~*~*~ 

The fact that Brian had let Justin drive him home-- completely home --was proof enough of how freaked out he was by what had happened. Whatever had happened. He had his suspicions about why Brian had freaked out so completely in the diner, but he wasn’t about to call him on it. Justin would wait for Brian to come to him. 

“Now was that really so difficult?” Justin grinned as he pulled Rigby into park at the end of the Kinney driveway. “It only took what...? A month for me to be allowed at the end of your driveway. 

Brian sent a mock scowl in his direction as he unfastened his seatbelt. “Cute, Sunshine. Real cute.” 

Twisting around in his seat, Brian reached for his backpack which had fallen off the backseat and to the ground at some point during the ride. 

“Sonnyboy, get your ass in the house now!” 

At the angry shout, Justin watched Brian still completely. His entire body tense and he slowly rose to his full height in the seat. 

“I’ll get my bag tomorrow,” he mumbled in Justin’s direction before slowly climbing out of the jeep. “Later, Sunshine.” 

“Bri, what’s going on?” Justin demanded, instantly on edge and unsure of what was happening. 

“Don’t worry about it.” 

There was no chance for Justin to protest as Brian climbed out of the jeep and walked stoically towards the house. 

And the furious drunk who stood waiting for him. 

“Later, Bri,” Justin whispered as he forced himself to start the long ride home.


	3. Cohorts in Crime

The uneasiness Justin had been feeling since he pulled away from Brian’s the night before only increased when he didn’t see the other teen before first period the next morning. Everything in him had been protesting against leaving Brian the night before, yet that was exactly what he had done. He had seen the fear in Brian’s eyes and had left him there. Justin cursed himself for doing that and wished he had a time machine to go back and not let Brian leave. 

Justin was able to write off Brian not being there before first as simply being late. However, when they didn’t cross paths between first and second like they normally did, Justin knew that something was wrong. There was no way Brian would be that late. 

Bypassing his seat completely, Justin made his way to the front of the classroom, trying to make himself look as pathetic as possible. 

“Mrs. Ryker, may I please be excused to go see the nurse?” Justin practically whimpered, blinking owlishly for effect. 

The aging English teacher gave Justin a sympathetic look. “Now, Mr. Taylor, you wouldn’t be trying to distract me from collecting your paper, would you?” 

“Of course not It’s right here,” Justin said, handing her his five page critical review of the Scarlet Letter. 

“Very well, Mr. Taylor, you can go see the nurse. I hope it is nothing serious,” Mrs. Ryker smiled at him once again and Justin was dismissed. 

Having absolutely not intention f going to see the nurse, Justin paused in a stairwell to forge a quick note from his mother giving him the rest of the day off for an “appointment.” No call would be made to his home and he could go over to Brian’s to make sure that he was all right. After what he had seen the night before, Justin could understand why Brian had always refused to let him go to his house. He didn’t approve, but he understood it. 

As he had expected, the secretary at the front office didn’t so much as glance at the note before signing him out. The school was incredibly lax in that respect. When faced with Justin’s wide, toothy grin, people often found it impossible to believe that he was capable of any misdeed and wouldn’t question his motive. 

So, less than ten minutes after leaving class, Justin and Rigby were rumbling out of the parking lot and towards Brian’s house on the other side of the city. 

~*~*~ 

The incessant knocking at the front door woke Brian from a fitful doze. He laid on his bed, staring up at the ceiling, as he waited for his mother to open the door. More than likely it was one of her church cronies or possibly even the priest. For years Brian had suspected that is mother was having an affair with Father Tom. She certainly spent enough time there on her knees. 

Finally the knocking stopped and Brian let out a sigh of relief, preparing to drift off to sleep once again. And he would have except that the knocking was now at his bedroom door It was much quieter and there were only two knocks before the door was opened. 

Then, to Brian’s ultimate shock, a blonde head poked in. 

“What the fuck are you doing here?” Brian grumbled, self-consciously pulling himself into a seated position so as not to appear weaker. 

Justin slipped in the rest of the way, closing the door behind him. “I was feeling rebellious and thought I’d play hooky for at least once in my high school career.” 

“Then why are you here?” Brian pressed, hoping that the swelling on the right side of his face had gone down. 

“You’re gonna be my hostage,” Justin informed the other teen. “We’re going to make a quick stop at my house so I can change then we’re going to head out onto the Interstate and just drive. So get your bony ass outta bed.” 

For several long minutes, Brian stared at Justin as though he were completely insane. For the life of him, he couldn’t figure out how Justin had managed to get past his mother. Joan always did her best to mask what happened between him and his father, yet the blonde was still there. 

~*~*~ 

It was taking everything that Justin had not to react to the sight before him. In that moment, Justin would have gladly taken the fear in Brian’s eyes the night before rather than the almost broken one he saw then. The right side his face was all swollen and bruised. Combined with a split lip and a slightly puffy left eye, Justin was almost afraid to see what lay hidden under the black jersey and faded Levis. It would have to be bad if Brian hadn’t gone to school. But Justin was determined not to make a big deal out of it. They would just go for a drive with the top down and not give a shit about anything in Pittsburgh. 

“You’re going to have to help me up,” Brian sighed, holding a hand out towards Justin. Then he just as quickly dropped his hand. “I should probably put my shoes on first. Can you hand them to me? Grab a pair of socks off the pile too.” 

Justin was biting the inside of his cheek so hard that it nearly bled when he saw how stiffly Brian was moving. There was none of his normal agility and he would clench his jaw almost every time he moved even a fraction of an inch. Justin knew better than to offer any help, though. That would only get Brian angry which was never a good thing. It was best to just let Brian work to the extent of his own limitations then help only when he asked for it. 

So Justin kept his silence, watching on as Brian struggled to lace up his sneakers and painfully shift over so that his legs were dangling over the side of the bed. Only then did Justin hold out a hand for Brian to take. 

The dark-haired teen wobbled slightly at first, unable to put any pressure on his left leg. His ankle hadn’t appeared swollen so Justin assumed that the problem was with his knee. Once he was on his feet, however, Brian was able to walk with only minor assistance from Justin. 

“Let’s get the fuck out of here,” Brian gasped as he took a lurching step towards the door. 

~*~*~ 

He was pretty sure that the inside of his jaw looked like shredded meat. They hadn’t even made it to the end of the hallway and Brian was convinced that his knee was going to give out. Brian knew that he shouldn’t have gotten out of bed or, at the very least, he should have been relying more on Justin to support his weight. But, for reasons that he could not explain, he just couldn’t. Brian didn’t want to appear weak even though it was blatantly obvious to both of them that he was hurting. 

“Brian, honey, don’t you think you should be in bed,” his mom said in a sickenly sweet voice as the two boys passed through the kitchen on their way to the door. 

It made Brian want to scream the way his mother was acting. As though nothing had happened the night before. He was used to it, though. It was the way it had been for as long as he could remember. 

“We’re just going for a drive, mom,” Brian hissed, his voice coming out in a loud wheeze. “Don’t worry, no one at the school will see me till Monday. The secret is safe.” 

This time Brian allowed Justin to support him more as they fled the kitchen. 

“Brian, how can you say such a thing!” his mother called after them as, Brian assumed, she made her way to the liquor cabinet to forget the truth. 

A truth which was the core of Brian’s very existence. 

Brian had no misperceptions about the circumstances of his conception. He had known from an early age that he wasn’t wanted. When he was a child he had overheard his parents arguing over the fact that his mother should have aborted him when she was pregnant. His father hadn’t even wanted him to be born and the only reason his mother hadn’t gone with his wishes was because it went against everything she believed to abort a pregnancy. 

“How did you manage to get in?” Brian asked as he settled himself into the passenger seat. “The way the Warden’s acting you’d think it wasn’t a school day.” 

Justin paused, about to climb into Rigby and stared at Brian in confusion. “The Warden?” 

“The illustrious Mrs. Kinney,” Brian clarified, attempting to stretch out his long legs comfortably in the small compartment. “Now answer the question.” 

“There’s nothing much to tell,” Justin said as he hopped into the jeep and fastened his seatbelt. “All I did was tell your mother who I was, that I was responsible for looking after you at St. James and she let me right in without a fuss.” 

“Figures,” Brian snorted, bracing himself for one of Justin’s halting reversals. Brian was beginning to think that Justin would never get the hang of shifting gears. “Soon as she hears you’re from money she starts fawning all over you. Fucking social climber.” 

The pair drove in silence across town to the mystical land of suburbia where Justin lived. Silently, Brian was fuming, furious that his mother was more concerned about making nice with Justin than about what his father had done to him. It really shouldn’t have surprised him, really. His mother had never raised a hand to keep him safe in the past so there was no reason he should have expected her to actually care about him after he had been shoved down a flight of stairs. 

~*~*~ 

“Um, yeah, can I get two Big Mac meals. Super-sized. With chocolate milkshakes instead of pops and four apple pies,” Justin spoke into the intercom, glancing at the menu one final time to make sure that he hadn’t forgotten anything. 

“Flurries,” Brian reminded him. 

“Right. Two Oreo McFlurries,” Justin amended as he shifted slightly to grab his wallet out of the back pocket of his jeans. 

“Is that everything?” the crackling voice on the other side asked. 

Justin nodded his head and with a swat from Brian, confirmed it vocally. The drive-thru attendant gave Justin the total and told him to drive up to the first window. Rigby lurched forward, only slightly that time, and out of the corner of his eye, Justin noticed Brian reaching for his own wallet. 

“Don’t even think about it, Kinney,” Justin said, placing a hand on the other teen’s arm to halt his movements. “I’m buying.” Then Justin flashed Brian a quick grin. “Actually, my dad is. I raided fifty bucks from his supposedly secret stash of poker money.” 

Smirking, Brian leaned back into his seat, getting comfortable once again. “I’ve never been one to turn down a father-funded fast food binge.” 

“What binge? This is just a snack,” Justin shot back as he handed the money over to the girl at the window. 

“I hope I’m there the day you get fat from eating all this junk food,” Brian told him in all seriously, the smirk still in place. 

Justin’s only response was to flash Brian a wide, teasing grin. 

Once they had all of their food, Justin steered Rigby towards the wooded picnic area on the far side of the parking lot. The place was nearly deserted, but they weren’t going to use a picnic table anyway. It would be more comfortable for Brian to sit on the ground so Justin was glad for the large flannel blanket that he kept stored under the back seat. 

While Justin got the blanket and the old crutches he’d grabbed form his basement (his father had broken his ankle the year before), Brian set the bags of fast food down on the driver’s seat and carefully slipped out of the jeep, wavering only slightly until he had the crutches firmly under his arms. He found a shaded spot for them and waited for Justin to spread out the blanket before dropping down in a less than graceful manner. 

Catching sight of a grimace as Brian stretched out his injured leg, Justin was hard pressed not to demand to know what had happened in that house after he had driven away. Instead, he plopped down next to Brian and divvied up the food. 

~*~*~ 

One day Brian was going to have to teach Justin the fine art of hiding what he was feeling. Every time Justin would want to ask about what had happened, Brian could tell simply by looking at him. His expression would cloud over, he’d turn his head a little to the side and then force the look away. 

And while he wanted to keep that part of his life secret from Justin, at the same time he wanted to tell the other teen about what had happened. He wanted to be able to tell someone about it and Justin was the only one he trusted enough to reveal his family’s dirty little secrets to. 

“Quit sulking, Sunshine, and ask your questions,” Brian sighed, pausing with a fry halfway to his mouth. Then smirked at the wide-eyed expression on Justin’s face. “I’m not promising that I’ll answer your questions, but you can ask them.” 

Not even a full second passed before the expected, “What happened after I left?” was out of Justin’s mouth. 

It would have been incredibly easy for Brian to make up yet another lie, another bending of the truth to explain the various bruises and his obviously sprained knee. It was what he had been doing his entire life; since he had first realized that none of the other kids in his kindergarten class got smacked around by their dads. Of course between soccer and his own innate awkward clumsiness, grown-ups had always written off the bruises as the result of an active childhood. At sixteen, however, Brian had all but grown into his long limbs and the clumsiness had turned into an incredible agility as a result of more than a decade of playing soccer. 

“I um... I kinda fell down the stairs into the basement,” Brian admitted at last, his natural tendency to alter the truth kicking in. 

As he had expected, Justin shot him a dubious look. “Fell?” 

Brian shrugged absently, not trusting his voice to speak. He wanted to tell Justin about what had happened, but he couldn’t coax the words from his mouth. For too many years it had been ingrained in his brain not to tell anyone. And now that he finally had someone he trusted enough to talk to about it... he couldn’t. 

“You gonna eat those fries?” 

The request caught Brian completely off guard and, at first, he couldn’t wrap his mind around what Justin had said. Then all at once he clued in and lifted his fries, holding them away from the blonde. 

“You’ve got your own, Taylor. Leave mine alone.” 

~*~*~ 

As much as he wanted to, Justin wasn’t about to force Brian to reveal anything he didn’t want to. It was obvious to both of them that Justin didn’t believe Brian’s story about having fallen down the stairs. Not after what he had witnessed the night before. So instead he went back to eating, letting Brian decide when he would talk about what had happened. 

Something which would take longer now that Brian had fallen asleep. 

It honestly didn’t surprise Justin who suspected that Brian hadn’t gotten too much sleep the night before. So he let Brian sleep, got rid of the garbage left over from their junk food binge and grabbed something out of the jeep to keep himself occupied. Neither of them had anywhere to be and Justin planned on taking full advantage of that. He would be surprised if they got back to Pittsburgh before ten o’clock. 

Sketchpad in his right hand, Justin moved around, searching out the perfect angle to draw Brian. He had been trying for a month to get Brian to sit still long enough to sketch him, but the soccer playing would always refuse to would move around too much. Asleep, there was no way Brian could refuse or purposely fidget. 

The instant he set the tip of his pencil against the piece of paper, the outside world ceased to exist for Justin. His attention was either focused on the sketchpad or on Brian’s slumbering form. He worked quickly, hoping to get it done before Brian woke up because once he did there would be no finishing the sketch. 

Normally Justin would not care if he didn’t get a sketch finished, but he wanted this one. Brian was completely relaxed and Justin wanted proof of that. 

The young artist worked furiously to capture the unique angulature of his friend’s face. Wide, raspberry tinted lips. Sharp, blade bridge nose. Arching eyebrows. Firm, squared jaw. Prominent cheekbones brushed by long, dark lashes. Unruly whisps of chestnut hair that his charcoal pencil did not to justice to. Justin pulled all the various elements together, transferring Brian’s likeness onto paper, pleased that he was able to do so relatively well. It wasn’t a perfect rendering, but it was one that Justin was proud of. 

What he did not include were the bruises that were spattered across Brian’s elegant features. Instead he incorporated them into the shadows created by the overhead tree. 

Just as he was placing the first strokes that would become Brian’s shoulders, the dark-haired teen let out a quiet moan and shifted slightly, moving just enough to bring an end to Justin’s sketch. His eyes began to flicker and Justin knew that Brian was slowly coming awake. 

“Let my guard down for a minute and he’s sketching me,” Brian grumbled, a slight smile curling the corners of his lips upwards despite the annoyed tone of his voice. 

“I had to find something to do since you decided to take a nap,” Justin shot back, setting his sketchpad and pencil aside. “Besides, you knew that he was an inevitability. It was only a matter of time before you ended up as sketchbook fodder.” 

Brian snorted and rolled onto his side, keeping his left leg as still as possible so as not to jar it. “You make it sound like a punishment instead of an honour.” 

“Hey!” Justin laughed, wishing that he hadn’t gotten rid of all the garbage so that he would have something to launch at the other teen. “I’ll have you know that only the most beautiful end up in here.” 

“I’m not beautiful,” Brian smirked, his fingers snaking into his hair. “I’m a fucking mess because my asshole of a father shoved me down the fucking stairs.” 

As though only realizing what he had said after the fact, Brian dropped his gaze to the blanket he was lying on, his expression darkening. 

“You are beautiful, Bri,” Justin insisted as he reached over to pick his sketchbook back up. He then set it down within Brian’s line of sight, making sure that the brunette looked at it. “I only drew what I saw and what I saw was beautiful.” 

~*~*~ 

Even though he had wanted to tell Justin the truth about what had happened now that it was out in the open, Brian felt incredibly exposed. 

Vulnerable. 

It was not a state that Brian took to easily and it was a struggle for him to remain there under Justin’s watchful gaze, sprained knee or no. To his surprise, though, Brian found his attention focused on the drawing Justin had done of him while he slept. He carefully evaluated all the thin pencil strokes, the fine details and smudged shadows. Somehow all those lines and smudges created an image of his face. One that did not have the imperfections left behind by his father’s large hands and one too many drinks courtesy of the boys at the bar. 

“If I ever find out that a picture of me ends up on some gallery showing you have going on I’m going to expect royalties,” Brian deadpanned, raising his gaze up to Justin’s, a slight smile curving up one corner of his mouth. “I mean it, Sunshine.” 

“I know you do, Bri,” Justin confirmed, flashing him a wide smile so that Brian knew his compliment had been received. “And when you become a world famous personality you won’t forget the starving artist you were friends with back in high school.”


	4. Cohorts in Crime

“You want to what?” Brian demanded, staring at Justin over the top of his hamburger. 

Justin gave him a pointed look as he swallowed his mouthful of pop. “You’re not deaf, Bri, you heard me.” 

“Yeah, I know I did. I just want to make sure I heard you right.” 

The blonde threw a french fry at him and repeated, “I want to try out for the play.” 

“I thought that’s what you said,” Brian mumbled, scrubbing his hands over his face. “You do realize what play they’re doing this year.” 

“A Midsummernight’s Dream. So what?” Justin shrugged. 

Brian took a deep breath, repressing the image of Brian prancing around on stage in a pair of pink tights While Justin may have had the body for such a venture and even more so the talent, there were others who would not take to it as well. One person, in particular, that Brian knew would make Justin’s life hell was seated four tables away surrounded by a swarm of his fellow football jocks. 

“I’m doing this, Bri,” Justin said emphatically, nudging him under the table with his foot to get his attention. “It really won’t be as bad as you’re thinking. School plays don’t even register on Chris’ radar unless his current girlfriend is in it. Alice Llanfair is a cheerleader who can barely ever memorize her address let alone a Shakespearean play.” 

Even after three months it still freaked Brian out when Justin would read his thoughts like that. The blonde did it with a regularity that would shock anyone else if they knew about it. Which they never would. At times Brian wondered if it was normal to have someone who could get into his head as easily as Justin did his. 

“Besides, I’m not scared of him,” Justin added seconds before he shoved the remainder of his hamburger into his mouth. 

It wasn’t that Brian was scared of him either. Brian would stand up to that asshole in a second if he got too close to Justin. At the same time, however, Brian didn’t go looking for trouble. Enough of it came his way without the added hassle of him actively seeking it out. It had been nearly three weeks since his father had sought him out to bear the brunt of one of his drunken rampages and Brian wanted to keep that streak going as long as possible. 

“Tell the hamster to take a nap. It’s supposed to be nocturnal,” Justin said, this time kicking him more forcefully. 

Brian stared at him for a moment before bursting into laughter. “What the fuck are you talking about?” 

“You. Brooding. Knock it off,” Justin clarified, trading the kick in for a slight nudge. 

“Roger wilco,” Brian smirked. 

~*~*~ 

For the rest of the week, whenever they had a spare moment together, Justin would recite snippets of Puck’s final soliloquy, Brian cueing him when he forgot lines of phrases. Long before Friday’s audition, however, Justin had it completely memorized and could say it in a half dozen different ways. 

“You know, if I was really mean I’d point out how ironic it is that you’re auditioning to be one of the top fairies in all of English literature,” Brian said casually as he and Justin lay side by side on the blonde’s bed. “As it is, I think I’ll keep that little tidbit of information to myself.” 

“Yeah, but if you did that then everyone would wonder how you know and that would cast suspicion on you,” Justin pointed out. 

Without turning his head, Brian glared at him out of the corner of his eye. “You know, I really hate it when you get all logical like that.” 

“Well you can’t be the logical one all the time,” Justin said, grinning broadly. “Every so often I get to be the logical part of our duo. But I promise, as soon as I start talking, I’ll go back to being the eccentric, scatter-brained artist.” 

“And now that you’re back to being the insane one, I’ve gotta get going,” Brian told the blonde as he pushed himself up and swung his legs over the side of the bed. “I want to be home before my old man gets back from bowling with the boys.” 

Justin sat up and turned towards Brian who was lacing up his battered sneakers. “Why don’t you crash here tonight, Bri? Your stuff’s still in the backseat and we can just stop by your house on the way to school to pick up your uniform.” 

For almost a full minute Brian hesitated before shaking his head. “Nah, I think it’ll be better if I just go. I’ve got a few hours till he’s due home so I have plenty of time.” 

“But, Bri--” 

“I’ll be fine, Sunshine,” Brian insisted, flashing Justin a quick grin before heading over to the window. “Later.” 

“Later,” Justin mumbled as he watched Brian climb out the window and onto the wooden awning over the back porch. 

And even after Brian was gone, Justin couldn’t force away the awful feeling he had in the pit of his stomach. He knew that something was going to happen, he just didn’t know what it was. Several times Justin nearly got up and followed after Brian, to at least follow him to the bus stop to make sure that he got there all right or even follow behind the bus in Rigby all the way back to Brian’s. 

“Quit being such a twat,” Justin grumbled to himself, sliding off the bed and making his way to the bathroom to have a shower. 

~*~*~ 

The house was dark when Brian walked up to it. It was after eleven so his mother was long in bed and Clare’s room was at the back of the house so even if she was still up, Brian wouldn’t have been able to tell. A part of Brian wished that he had taken Justin up on his offer because the blonde’s house always looked so inviting. Unlike his, Justin’s parents believed in the concept of porch lights which was why it took him a few minutes to unlock the front door. 

Leaving his shoes on, Brian trudged into the living room and stretched out on the couch. He could feel that he was lying on the remote and arched his back, reaching under himself to grab it. He still had a half hour till Leno was on so he decided on watching the news even though he doubted much could have happened since the six o’clock news. 

~*~*~ 

Justin was almost asleep when he heard the distinctive knocking on his bedroom window. In the sixteen years that he had been living in that room, he’d only heard that sound a few times. Each and every time he’d heard that sound, it was Brian on the other side. Normally it came around dusk and they would hang out for a few hours, just talking or even simply lying side by side without saying a word. 

The difference with this time was that it was nearly two in the morning. 

Brian had never shown up that late and Justin feared that something was wrong. It would have to be for Brian to come back barely three hours after he had just left. Immediately, Justin felt his earlier panic return and bolted up. 

Throwing off the covers, Justin padded quickly towards the window. He raised the blinds and had to bite his tongue to keep from crying out when he saw the blood smeared across Brian’s chin and cheek. Justin rushed to open the window and carefully helped a trembling Brian into the room. As soon as Brian had both feet planted firmly on the ground, his arms wound around the blonde’s shoulders. 

The way Brian’s entire body shook against his own was doing nothing to calm Justin’s nerves about what had happened to his friend. 

“Brian, what happened? Are you all right?” Justin murmured in his friend’s ear as he tenderly slipped his arms around his waist, not holding onto him tightly because he was unsure as to how badly Brian was hurt. 

The closest thing Justin got to an answer was Brian burying his face tight against the side of his throat. There was a wetness brushing against Justin’s skin and he was unsure as to whether or not it was blood or tears. A mixture of both, most likely. When Justin tried to pull away, Brian cried out slightly and clutched even tighter at him, molding their bodies together. 

“I’m just going to get a wash cloth or something to clean you up,” Justin said quietly against the side of his head. 

Still trembling slightly, Brian nonetheless released his hold on Justin and took a half step back, his right hand absently scrubbing through his hair. 

“I’ll be right back, Bri,” Justin promised, giving Brian’s hand a quick squeeze disappearing into his bathroom to get one of the navy blue washcloths. He soaked about half of it in cool water and rang it out, grabbing a towel on the way back out into his bedroom where he found Brian sitting curled up in the center of his bed, hugging his knees to his chest. 

Silently, Justin sat down next to Brian and gently turned his friend’s face towards his, trying not to wince as he caught sight of an angry bruise marring his left cheekbone. Then he tenderly began to wipe the drying blood from his face. A split lip and a small cut on his left cheek ended up being the source of the blood. Brian instinctively turned into his touch and, before he could rationalize it, Justin leaned forward and brushed a light kiss just under the bruise. 

Brian whimpered softly and clutched at Justin’s thighs. The sound was so pitiful that Justin automatically wound his arms around Brian’s shoulders, hugging him close. 

“Are you hurt anywhere else, Brian?” Justin whispered, lightly dropping his forehead against Brian’s so that he could peer into the watery hazel eyes. 

For a moment, Brian lowered his gaze away from Justin’s. He shifted his body slightly and ended up grunting in pain. “I um... I’m.... I’m not s-sure,” Brian stumbled, his voice wavering. “I just.... I hurt.” 

It was all that Justin could do to keep the tears at bay at the tortured look on Brian’s face. Instead he carefully helped Brian out of his black t-shirt, biting the inside of his cheek when he saw the vicious bruises which snaked across Brian’s rib cage. Brian glanced down as well, wincing when he saw the bruises. 

Seeing Brian wavering slightly, Justin carefully helped him to lie down on the queen sized bed so that they were facing each other, their bodies pressed tight together. 

“What happened?” Justin asked quietly, reaching out to smooth Brian’s wild hair away from his face. 

Brian sniffled, squeezing his eyes shut tight. “Fuck if I know. I fell asleep on the couch... I think.” Brian let out a loud, shuddering breath, jarring his ribs and bringing out a small cry from his lips. “Next thing I know I’m on... I’m on the f-floor and my old man’s kicking the shit out of me....” 

The trembling came on full force once again and Justin held onto Brian tightly and felt the brunette’s arms wind around him just as fervently. There were tears soaking Brian’s cheeks and Justin did his best to kiss them away. 

~*~*~ 

No matter how hard he tried, Brian couldn’t get his body close enough to Justin’s for him to feel completely safe. The entire time he’d been struggling to get away from his father, all that Brian could focus on was getting to Justin. He knew that he’d be safe with his friend. And when he’d felt Justin’s arms go around him when he stumbled into the darkened bedroom he was. Nothing could hurt him when it was just the two of them because Justin would never hurt him. 

As Justin continued to kiss away the tears that Brian had unwillingly shed, Brian shifted his head slightly so that their lips came into contact for the first time ever. If Justin felt startled, he didn’t show it. Instead he kissed Brian lightly, his warm lips moving softly against Brian’s own. 

“I love you.” 

Justin’s brilliant smile would have been all the answer he needed. 

“I love you too, Bri.” 

But to hear the words echoed back immediately created a surge of emotions that Brian had never before known. Unlike when his parents would say it at family functions just for appearances sake, Brian believed Justin when he said it. He could see it clearly in Justin’s eyes when he said it. 

The two of them clutched desperately at each other as they attempted to devour one another’s mouths. While they learned the tastes and contours of each other’s mouths, Brian rolled them over so that Justin was stretched out overtop of him. His body sunk down into the soft mattress and Justin lifted his head slightly, gasping against Brian’s cheek as they laid with their foreheads pressed together. 

Justin’s lips were swollen from their kissing and a faint sheen of sweat had broken out along his hairline. 

Yet his smile never wavered. 

~*~*~ 

In all his life, Justin had never seen anything so beautiful as the expression on Brian’s face. His eyes were slightly dilated and glittered in the moonlight as a result of the tears that still lingered. Brian’s mouth hung a little slack as he breathed in large lungfuls of air and Justin was unable to believe the intense emotions swirling in the pit of his stomach. His body felt as though it were on fire and even the loose sweatpants he’d worn to bed were too constricting. 

“Justin....” Brian moaned, arching against him. 

Brian’s thigh rubbing against Justin’s erection had the blonde gasping, his entire body shuddering. “Oh shit.” 

“Justin, please....” 

“It feels....” 

“Yeah.” 

~*~*~ 

It wasn’t the smartest idea. In fact, both of them knew how incredibly stupid it was. Still, it was happening. There was no preventing it. 

“Oh god....” Brian gasped as Justin slowly pushed into him. 

Raw except for lotion that was serving as lube. 

Justin was shaking, his eyes wide, his jaw hanging open. Along with his wild hair and flushed skin, Justin looked like one of those works of art he created on paper. The blonde moved slowly, carefully easing all the way into Brian’s hole. When they were joined completely, both stilled, their eyes locked. 

“I’ve never felt anything like this,” Justin moaned as he carefully set himself down on his forearms so that he and Brian were able to kiss. 

“You’d better not have,” Brian grinned, shifting his hips slightly which sent them both moaning. 

Shaking his head, Justin captured Brian’s lips with his own. “Never. No one else. Just you. Always you.” 

“Always you,” Brian promised back.


	5. Cohorts in Crime

It was still early. Justin’s alarm clock hadn’t gone off, but he was wide awake. He had been for roughly twenty minutes. 

Justin still couldn’t believe what had happened the night before. 

Even now, spooning Brian from behind, Justin could not believe that he and Brian had had sex. A part of him was aware that what they had done was incredibly stupid, the perfect way to fuck up a friendship. For the moment it was easy because Brian was still asleep. It was when he woke up that the problem might arise. 

When the awkwardness could begin. 

Suddenly Brian moaned and pressed himself back tighter against Justin. It was nothing like the pleasured moans both of them had been gasping into each other’s mouths the night before, but a scared one. Pressing a kiss to Brian’s shoulder, Justin hugged him tighter, running his hands soothingly up and down his friend’s stomach. 

“Shhhhh... it’s all right, Bri. He can’t hurt you here,” Justin murmured in his ear, feeling his heart contract at his friends obvious fear. 

“Jus....” Brian moaned, still mostly asleep. 

Justin pressed a soft kiss to the back of his throat. “I’m right here, Bri.” 

Brian began to relax then, his body going slack in sleep. Justin continued to hold him tightly, his fingers continuing to dance across the taller boy’s stomach, wanting to ensure that his nightmare was over. 

Just as he was about to brush another kiss against Brian’s shoulder when he heard his door being opened. Justin tensed and slowly unwound his arms from Brian’s waist, sliding backwards slightly to put more room between them all the while keeping his right hand moving against the small of Brian’s back, the movement hidden under the blanket covering them. 

His panic increased when his mother poked her head into the room, her eyes going wide when she saw the two of them in bed together. Then she must have seen the bruise littered across Brian’s face and upper body because her eyes softened. 

“What happened to him?” she mouthed when she noticed Justin staring at her. 

“I’ll explain later,” Justin promised silently, mouthing the words at her. 

Jennifer nodded her head and disappeared out of the room again without giving any reason for her pre-alarm clock entrance. 

~*~*~ 

When Brian first felt the arms around his waist, he began to panic. For a moment, he couldn’t remember where he was or who the extra body in the bed was. He relaxed completely, though, when he heard a quiet snuffling behind him. 

Justin and his eternal allergies. 

Brian pulled away from the blonde then slowly shifted onto his other side, Justin’s arms never unwinding from his middle. The artist was already awake and gave him a sleepy smile when their eyes met. 

“Hey,” Justin mumbled, a sleepy smile on his face. 

Brian returned the smile, albeit somewhat crookedly. “Hey back. What time is it?” 

Justin turned his head to yawn into the pillow before answering. “Some time before seven-thirty.” 

Nodding his head, Brian allowed his eyes to slide shut again. If he could just not move and stay like that all day he would be perfectly content. His body was a little on the sore side, but Brian wasn’t sure if that was because of what they had done last night or what his father had done to him. In any event, feeling Justin’s hands soothing up and down his back was doing wonders he felt himself relaxing once again and any and all tension he had felt before was slowly bleeding away. He probably would have fallen asleep again if Justin’s alarm clock hadn’t chosen that moment to go off. 

This time it was Brian who pressed his face into the pillow, rolling onto his stomach as Justin began fumbling for the alarm clock. He let out a relieved sigh when the incessant beeping stopped, a noise echoed immediately by Justin. 

“Any chance of more sleep?” Brian mumbled, turning his head towards Justin who was getting himself once again. 

Justin slid back up close and Brian pulled him even closer with an arm around the blonde’s waist. “Well seeing as how I just shut off my alarm if we go to sleep there’s no telling when we’d wake up.” 

“Glad to hear it,” Brian said as he shut his eyes for a second time. 

~*~*~ 

Unfortunately, Justin had forgotten that his mother was still home so they only got twenty more minutes of sleep. The only good thing about it was that they weren’t in a compromising position when she opened the door. 

“All right, you two lazybones, time to get up,” Jennifer said, flickering the light on and off to get their attention. “If I don’t hear you two moving around in five minutes I’m going to send Molly in to wake you up.” 

“Yes, mom,” Justin groaned, momentarily burying his head under a pillow. 

Once the door shut, Justin slithered backwards so that he was more around the center of the bed. “We’d better get up, Bri. She’s serious about the Molly thing,” he said, pulling the blankets off his friend. 

The blankets were around his knees then, but Brian showed no signs of moving. “You’re evil, Taylor.” 

Before Justin could comment, Brian sprung into action. He moved a lot faster than the artist had expected, knocking him down onto his back and sending them both into fits of laughter. Brian leaned down and sniffed at the side of Justin’s throat. 

“I think we need a shower,” he announced, pushing himself up and rolling onto his side. “We kinda stink.” 

“I wonder why that is?” Justin teased, jumping to his feet in the center of the bed. He stood there, staring down at Brian for a moment before bounding in the direction of his bathroom. 

The fact that there was no awkwardness between them was a great relief to him. Justin couldn’t stand the thought of losing his best friend and so far it didn’t seem like it would be that way. Of course, the new question was to determine what exactly he and Brian were to each other There was a line that had been crossed the night before. A very obvious line that would forever be left behind. 

“I figured we could shower together and save some time,” Brian said as he pulled back the shower curtain with a suddenness that caught Justin off guard. It was all he could do not to let out a frightened yelp. 

“Oh that was so not nice,” Justin grumbled, launching a washcloth at Brian’s head. “I’d like to not have a heart attack before I’m thirty, thankyouverymuch.” 

Brian caught the washcloth as it bounced off his forehead and then spread it out over Justin’s head, covering his eyes. “It’s not nice to throw things, Sunshine. Someone could get hurt.” 

“I’ll keep that in mind,” he laughed, pulling up the bottom end of the washcloth enough to peer up at Brian. 

~*~*~ 

Brian stared at the blue slacks Justin was holding up to him, a dubious expression on his face. “You can’t be serious.” 

“What’s wrong with them? They’ll fit you,” Justin insisted, glancing from the pants to his best friend and back again. 

“Around the waist maybe,” Brian agreed with a nod. “But there’s no way my ass’ll fit in those things. They’ll sag down around my knees.” 

“Hey!” 

“I don’t mean to insult you, Taylor, but how does someone with such a slender waist end up with such a huge ass?” Brian inquired, grinning at Justin’s indignant look. 

“There’s nothing wrong with my ass,” Justin insisted, placing a protective hand on his rear. “Besides, you seemed to enjoy it last night so I’d be nice to my ass.” 

Brian’s smile didn’t waver. “I’m not being mean to your ass. I’m just pointing out that it’s a little rounded than one would expect considering how slender the rest of you is. Cock excluded, of course.” 

Letting out an aggravated sigh, Justin tossed the pants at Brian. “Enough with the ass cracks, Kinney. Get dressed.” 

At the same time both teens realized what Justin had said and burst out laughing. 

“Face it, Sunshine, I’m not wearing your pants. I’ll just put my clothes back on and skip out today,” Brian said with a shrug. He could have easily gone home for his uniform, but he wanted to put off going home as long as possible. 

“Well how come you get to skip out and I don’t?” Justin demanded as he slipped into one of his white dress shirts. 

Very cautiously, Brian leaned over to pick up his discarded t-shirt. His ribs didn’t’ hurt too much, but he didn’t want to take any chances. “No one said you had to go to school today. You’re more than welcome to skip with me.” 

“I think that I should,” Justin agreed, his gaze focused on the buttons he was in the process of buttoning. “After all, you’re liable to get into trouble on your own.” 

“I don’t need a baby-sitter,” Brian smirked, nudging his right foot under the pile of his jeans and jerking his foot upwards using his entire leg, launching the jeans into the air, high enough for him to reach out and catch them. 

“Who said anything about baby-sitting?” Justin demanded as he passed by Brian in order to get the pants he’d tossed on the bed. “I’m letting you corrupt me.” 

“Gawd, you are such an innocent,” Brian chuckled, shaking his head in disbelief. 

Justin gave him a pointed look, eyebrow arching much the same way Brian’s would. “I don’t think you can call me innocent after last night. Innocents don’t do what we did.” 

Brian stared down at Justin’s face as he knelt between his spread legs. There was so much trust and so much love visible in his best friend’s expression and that someone was actually looking at him like that completely floored Brian. 

Without even being aware of it, Brian began to tremble. It wasn’t until Justin reached up and pulled Brian down against his chest, kissing his forehead. 

“I love you, Bri,” Justin murmured against his lips moments later. 

“Love you too,” Brian whispered back, feeling his confidence return. 

There was some awkward fumbling, both of them still trying to figure out a technique, but Brian eased his way slowly into Justin, lotion lubing the way. 

“Innocent in the way of the world, Sunshine,” Brian amended as he scanned the floor for his sneakers. “You’ve lived entirely too sheltered a life.” 

“I have not!” Justin shouted indignantly, unable to suppress a laugh. 

“You’re a country club brat, Taylor. You’re naturally inclined to innocence,” Brian pointed out. 

~*~*~ 

Even though he wasn’t fully aware of having been holding one in, Justin let out a relieved breath when he saw that his mother wasn’t in the kitchen. He knew that at some point she was going to confront him about what she had seen that morning and Justin would rather have that conversation when Brian wasn’t there. 

“If you don’t hurry up, you’re going to be late,” Jennifer said from behind them, startling the teens. “Brian, where’s your uniform?” 

“It’s at home, Mrs. Taylor,” Brian answered, his voice casual even though Justin could see how tense his shoulders were. “We’re gonna stop by my place on our way to school to pick it up.” 

“You’ll be late then,” Jennifer protested, fumbling through her purse for her car keys. 

Justin shrugged with one shoulder while he reached above his head with his other hand to grab a box of chocolate Pop Tarts. “Not by that much. Besides, there’s a pep rally thing during first ‘cause the football team is in the championship game today. So we really won’t be missing anything.” 

“I thought that was tomorrow,” Jennifer said absently as she slung her purse over her shoulder. “Oh well. Don’t be late, boys. And you’re on your own for supper tonight, Justin. Your dad and I have that thing at the club and Molly’s staying with the Kemps.” 

Then she was out the door and the two of them were on their own. When they heard the car start up and pull out of the driveway, Justin tossed the box of Pop Tarts at Brian before going back upstairs to change into some jeans, a jersey and a pair of sneakers. He also grabbed another top for Brian. On his way out of the kitchen he’d noticed a dark smudge on Brian’s faded black tee and didn’t think he’d appreciate walking around covered in his own blood. And Justin didn’t think that he’d be able to stand seeing Brian’s blood on him any longer. 

A white tee hanging out of his back pocket for Brian, Justin was still pulling on his long-sleeved orange jersey as he trudged back down the stairs. “Hey, Bri, do you want to go to that diner we went to on Liberty that time?” 

“Wha’s wong wiff Pop ‘arts?” Brian demanded, holding the back of his hand up to his mouth as he talked with his mouth full. 

“Pop Tarts are a necessity,” Justin replied automatically as he pulled the t-shirt out of his back pocket. “But since we have time today I figured we could go-- here you need a new shirt --get a real breakfast.” 

Handing Justin his half eaten Pop Tart, Brian slipped off his stained shirt and replaced it with the white one Justin had brought down. It was obviously too small, the cloth molding itself to Brian’s upper body in a way that immediately caught Justin’s attention. 

“So do you want to go or not?” Justin asked a second time, willing away the sudden erection he could feel growing in his jeans. To distract himself he took a bite of the breakfast pastry he was holding onto and waited for Brian’s answer. 

“Sure, why not,” the brunette shrugged. “It would probably be better than anything we could make ourselves.” 

“I take it that means dinner’s gonna be pizza,” Justin grinned as he slipped into his jacket. 

“Works for me.” 

~*~*~ 

“Well well well, the little lost boys return,” the red-haired waitress called out as he and Justin entered the diner. “Shouldn’t the two of you be at school?” 

Brian groaned inwardly at her question and would have turned around if Justin hadn’t pushed him further into the building. Instead he squared his shoulders and walked towards and empty booth. 

“One day you two little delinquents should come in at a normal time,” Deb told them, following them towards the booth Brian had picked out. “You might actually make some new friends if you do that.” 

“We’ve got friends,” Justin protested, glancing at her momentarily before turning his attention to the menu. 

“Oh really?” she asked with an arched eyebrow. 

Brian nodded his head, his shoulders squared. “Yeah, really. So can we order? I’m kinda hungry which is why we came here.” 

“Listen, kid, can the attitude,” Deb said, pointing a finger at him. “I’m not buying it for a second. Now try acting civil and I’ll take your order.” 

~*~*~ 

“You know, she’s really not that bad,” Justin said to Brian as they walked side by side along Liberty Avenue. “Kinda like my grandma Taylor.” 

Brian burst out laughing. “You’re related to someone like that? Gawd, no wonder you’re such a freak!” 

“I’m not a freak!” Justin cried, whacking Brian’s upper arm with the back of his hand. “I’m just WASP-ily challenged.” 

“WASP-ily challenged?” Brian echoed with a patented arched eyebrow. “Is that even a word?” 

“Doesn’t matter, it’s still true,” Justin insisted, knocking his arm against Brian’s. He was unable to contain when Brian’s hand fumbled for his, their fingers linking automatically. 

While Liberty Avenue wasn’t as interesting during the day as it was at night, doing a very good imitation of every other street in Pittsburgh. It was populated by a throng of everyday people who, while ordinary, were each unique in their own ways. Justin wished he’d brought his sketchpad with him, not that he thought Brian would have agreed to stand out in the cold so that he could draw people. 

“We’re going in here,” Brian announced suddenly, pulling on Justin’s hand to get him to stop. 

Glancing away from the little old lady walking a small pug dog in a pink fur coat, Justin turned to see where Brian wanted to go. 

“A tattoo parlour?” 

Without answering, Brian yanked open the door with his free hand dragged Justin in after him. 

~*~*~ 

Brian bit hard into the inside of his cheek as he was repeatedly jabbed with a needle. It hurt like a bitch, more than he had expected, but he wasn’t going to back down. He was getting the tattoo. It was something he had thought about on and off for about a year but this time he was actually going through with it. 

He just wished that he hadn’t chosen such a sensitive spot to get a tattoo. 

Lifting his gaze from his finger which was currently being mutilated, he looked over at Justin who was in the process of getting his nipple pierced. 

“Don’t even think about blaming this one me when you realize just how much it hurts,” Brian told the blonde, wincing in sympathy when the woman used a weird looking pair of pliers to pull the nipple taut. 

“Would-- Holy shit!” Justin cried as the nipple was pierced. 

Brian’s answering smirk was lop-sided as he was still biting into the side of his mouth. 

~*~*~ 

Justin rubbed his chest just under his newly pierced nipple. “Why did I think this was a good idea. It hurts like a bitch.” 

“Well at least you only got stabbed once,” Brian pointed out, lifting his right hand to peer at his new tattoo. “I, on the other hand, was stabbed repeatedly. It was worth it, though.” 

“Why does it say ‘resist’?” Justin asked, tenderly taking Brian’s hand in his so that he could see the tattoo. “And why on the inside of your middle finger?” 

“So that way whenever I go to take a drink, I’ll see it. It’ll be a way to make sure that I won’t turn out like my old man,” Brian growled, his fingers automatically wrapping around Justin’s. “I’m not gonna be some old drunk bastard Mick. I won’t.” 

Justin lifted Brian’s hand and pressed a kiss against the back of his hand. “You won’t, Bri. You’re nothing like your father. Hell, one day you’ll probably rule the world.” 

That got a laugh out of Brian. “Don’t worry, when I take over you’ll still be my consort.”


	6. Cohorts in Crime

Brian lay lengthwise on the couch in the Taylors’ living room, his head pillowed on Justin’s lap. It was all that he could do to keep his eyes open as the blonde began smoothing his fingers through his hair, mussing up the dark locks. Justin had somehow coaxed him into watching Yellow Submarine which, Brian had to admit, was far better than sitting through history. 

“Does Rigby know you named her after a little old lady?” Brian smirked up at Justin. 

The comment earned him a playful slap on his hip. “No, she’s named after one of my favourite Beatles’ songs. Now be nice and watch the movie.” 

“Yes, sir,” Brian chuckled, reaching down his body to wind his fingers through Justin’s which were resting on his hip. He waited until the song had ended then turned his head so that he could see Justin’s face. “I don’t know if I’ve told you before, but I’m really glad that you ran into me that day.” 

“Hey!” Justin giggled, squeezing Brian’s hand momentarily. “You walked into me. You’re taller and should have seen me coming.” 

Even though Justin was making light of their meeting, Brian knew that the blonde felt the same way as him. He had seen the sketches Justin had made that first day before their actual introductions. The two of them hadn’t even known each other then, they’d been strangers who’d bumped into each other in a hallway, yet Justin had captured him in a way that he would have never thought possible. The first time he had seen the rough sketches, Brian almost hadn’t believed that it was his face captured on paper. They were his features-- his nose, his eyes, his mouth, the little scar near his right eyebrow --but they had been put together in a way that made him look human and not a vessel for his father to focus his rage. 

“You’re missing the movie,” Justin told him, sliding a finger over his cheek, the digit coming incredibly close to the scar by his eyebrow. 

Brian turned his head just enough to brush a kiss against the side of his boyfriend’s wrist. In his head it even sounded weird. He had a boyfriend. For two years Brian had suspected-- if not known --that he was gay, but a boyfriend had never once entered his mind. But with Justin.... After what had happened the night before, Brian couldn’t imagine not being a part of Justin in that way. 

“Bri....” Justin waited for the other teen to meet his gaze before continuing. “What’s gonna happen once today is over and we go back to school? Are we going to pretend that this didn’t happen and just go on like before or...” 

At first, Brian couldn’t form a response. His attention was stuck on Justin’s eyes which were watching his face so intently. There was an almost frightening quality to it. That someone could look at him in such a way that they could see inside him. Were it anyone but Justin that would have terrified him, but with the other boy he felt safe. There was something almost comforting about the way Justin knew him so well. 

“I don’t care if anyone knows,” Brian found himself saying. “I love you. Who cares if we’re both guys. It shouldn’t matter.” 

“But you know it’s gonna matter,” Justin pointed out. “St. James is hardly a tolerant school. Our lives would be hell.” 

Chewing on his bottom lip, Brian nodded his head slowly. “I get it, Justin. Look, if you don’t want to, I won’t say anything. I won’t make things hard for you.” 

Justin reached down and cupped his face with his talented hands, fingers smoothing over his cheeks. “I don’t care who knows, Brian. I’ve never been one of them. Like I was an alien or something. You make me feel normal, Bri, and there’s no way I’m gonna hide that. And if everyone else gets to be in a relationship then so do I.... So do you.” 

~*~*~ 

As soon as he saw the smile on Brian’s face Justin knew that he had said the right thing. It wasn’t often that Brian gave a full smile, usually only a slight curling of the corners of his mouth, but this time his smile was a full one. A smile that lit up his entire face. Leaning over, he covered Brian’s smile with his own, kissing him softly. 

“I love you and I don’t care who knows,” Justin mumbled against his lips, tilting his head to press a tender kiss against the small gash on Brian’s cheek. 

Brian slipped a hand behind Justin’s head, holding his head close. “I meant what I said, Justin. I won’t say anything if you’re not sure. I don’t want to make things any harder for you. So tell me the truth. Do you want to keep this a secret or not?” 

“I won’t hide. Not now, not ever.” 

Justin wasn’t sure how it happened, but somehow he ended up lying on the couch with Brian stretched out overtop of him. It was a surprisingly comfortable place to be. He felt warm all over and safe, as though nothing could intrude on their little world. Which it wouldn’t if he had things his way. It would just be him and Brian, alone on some deserted island, for the rest of eternity. 

“What are you thinking about?” Brian murmured, rubbing his nose against Justin’s. “You look a little lost there. Where’d you go?” 

Justin stretched luxuriously, winding his arms around Brian’s shoulders. “The two of us trapped on a deserted island with nothing to do but have sex morning, noon and night.” 

“And just how are we going to get there?” Brian grinned down at him. “Plane crash? Ship wreck?” 

“Who cares? As long as the end result is you and me on a deserted island.... Hopefully involving some naked mambo,” Justin prodded, shifting his hips against Brian’s. 

Which earned a full blown laugh from Brian, nearly causing him to roll off the couch and onto the floor. Justin moved one arm down to Brian’s slender waist to hold him steady, not yet ready to be free of his warmth. 

“Has anyone ever told you that you have a one track mind?” Brian asked once he managed to get his laughter under control. 

Justin gave him a pointed look and reached up to smooth Brian’s bangs away from his face. “I have the most beautiful, most amazing and sexiest boyfriend in all of St. James. How could I not have a one track mind?” 

“I don’t think I’ll ever understand you, Justin,” Brian admitted, leaning his head down so that his forehead rested against the blonde’s. 

“It would be boring if you did,” Justin murmured against Brian’s lips. “Besides, I don’t completely understand you either so I think we’re pretty evenly matched.” 

~*~*~ 

“Come on, Brian, you know you want some,” Justin singsonged as he dangled a piece of pizza in front of his boyfriend’s face. He was straddling Brian’s waist as the taller man lay stretched out on the couch, his hands resting on Justin’s thighs. 

“I’m completely stuffed, Taylor, I can’t eat anything else,” Brian protested, holding a hand between his mouth and the pizza. 

“Please, Bri? Just one bite. One teeny tiny little bite?” Justin pleaded, grinding his hips against Brian’s. 

Knowing that if he opened his mouth to respond Justin would slip the pizza past his lips, Brian simply shook his head. 

“I’ll make it worth your while,” Justin tried with another shimmy of his hips to which Brian arched an eyebrow. “You don’t believe me, do you? Well here. I’ll give you a free sample.” 

Setting the plate of pizza down on the floor, Justin wiggled further down Brian’s body so that he was sitting on the brunette’s knees. A little unsure of what was going on, Brian lifted himself up on his elbows so that he could watch what Justin was doing. He felt himself relax when he caught sight of Justin smiling at him, knowing that nothing bad would happen. 

Keeping his eyes locked on Brian’s, Justin slowly lifted the hem of the white tee up, revealing Brian’s stomach. Then Justin leaned over and brushed a soft kiss against his stomach, just to the right of his belly button. Over a bruise left behind by his father. Kissed every inch of it, laving it with his tongue before moving on to the next one, a few inches away. 

“Jus... what are you doing?” Brian gasped out, his voice sounded a lot more hesitant than he would have liked. 

Replacing his lips with the palm of his hand, Justin lifted his head to answer, his hand lightly rubbing Brian’s stomach. “I’m exploring. I want to learn every beautiful inch of your body and I thought I’d start right here.” 

“I’m not beautiful,” Brian protested automatically, unconsciously moving away from Justin’s touch. 

A movement which Justin intercepted immediately, holding him in place. “You are beautiful, Bri. How many times am I going to have to drill it into your thick Mick skull? You’re fucking beautiful. And I don’t care if it takes me the rest of my life to prove it to you, but you’re going to believe it.” 

Then Justin dipped his head down once again, his lips sliding over the smooth skin of his torso. Brian was constantly amazed that Justin could find him attractive considering all the damage his father did on a regular basis. Justin didn’t even acknowledge the marks left behind by his father. The blonde just kissed over both old and new cuts and bruises, leaving no skin on his stomach and chest untouched. 

“The shirt’s getting in the way,” Justin mumbled against Brian’s collarbone. “We need to get it off so that I can finish my explorations.” 

It took a moment for the words to register in Brian’s mind. “Yeah.... Sure.” 

Justin sat up first, pulling Brian up with him, sliding his arms around his the soccer player’s and hugging him close. 

“Justin, we’re home!” 

The two jumped apart as though lightning had struck between them, sending them flying towards opposite directions of the couch. 

“We’re in here, mom,” Justin squeaked which earned him a tense laugh from Brian. 

“Who’s we?” Mrs. Taylor called back from the foyer. 

“It’s just me, Mrs. Taylor,” Brian shouted over his shoulder, snagging a piece of pizza from the box on the coffee table in front of them. “Justin has be locked up in here and won’t let me go home.” 

“Actually, mom, we were just about to go see a movie,” Justin decided suddenly. 

There were no complaints from Brian who suddenly felt incredibly self-conscious being in the Taylor household. 

“Okay, boys, have fun.” 

~*~*~ 

Instead of a movie, the pair had ended up at the mall since it was the only place it was still warm enough to walk around after dark. Justin had lost track of the amount of times they’d wandered the corridors, not shopping, just being together. Had it not been so cold Justin was sure they would have been at one of the many parks that lined the lake, but the mall provided the needed anonymity they craved. In the crowds, no one could tell that they were gay and still trying to figure out the whole relationship thing. 

Because of the unpredictability of Jack Kinney’s temperament, they’d kissed goodbye a block away from Brian’s house. Nothing serious, just a quick kiss at a stop sign. 

As he watched Brian climb out of the jeep, Justin had to bite the inside of his cheek to keep himself from asking Brian to come back to his house. A place where he knew the brunette would be safe. 

In the end he just watched Brian walk to his front door, a small smile curving his lips when Brian turned back to wave to him before he disappeared into the house. 

And that was it. 

Justin was still feeling slightly subdued when he arrived back at his house only to find his mother waiting in the living room for him. 

“I think you know what we need to talk about,” Jennifer said, setting her book down on the side table and turning her full attention onto Justin. 

“Look, mom, there’s nothing to--” 

“Justin, stop right there,” Jennifer interrupted, rising up off the couch and walking to where Justin stood in the entranceway. “Now I know what I saw this morning. It’s very hard to miss those bruises. Not all of them are new....” 

Justin immediately began to shake his head, ready to deny what his mother had seen for fear that she would do something about it. Something that would completely turn Brian’s life upside down. 

“Look, mom, it’s not what you’re thinking.” 

“And just what am I thinking?” Jennifer countered. 

“That Brian’s parents did that to him,” Justin said as casually as he could manage. “But it wasn’t them. The truth is that Brian and Chris Hobbs have been butting heads all year. Chris likes to be top dog and Brian’s kinda threatening that so he’s lashing out and Brian’s fighting back which--” Justin couldn’t help but laugh at the shocked look that often appeared on Chris’ face when Brian didn’t bow down to him “--is definitely interesting. Plus someone had the brilliant idea to stick the two of them together in gym and since right now we’re doing wrestling... it’s safe to say those two wouldn’t have any problems getting onto Smackdown.” 

Justin waited on baited breath to find out whether or not his mother bought his excuse. He remembered once reading something that soldiers being questioned by the enemy would stick as close to the truth as possible while at the same time giving away nothing. It made things easier if they were questioned a second time. And since all of what Justin had told her was true, he didn’t have to worry about contradicting himself at a later time. 

“Then why did Brian spend the night here?” 

Of course that didn’t mean he couldn’t improvise. 

“Because his parents were out of town last night and he didn’t feel like spending the night with his sister and her boyfriend,” Justin said with perfect indifference. “I said that he could crash here ‘cause he was already here late studying.” 

And then came the moment of truth. Whether or not his mother would believe the story he had come up with to explain Brian’s bruises. 

“Next time let your father or I know that Brian’s going to be spending the night.” 

Then Jennifer kissed him on the cheek and walked past him towards the staircase. 

As soon as he heard her walking down the hallway towards his parents’ bedroom, Justin let out a shuddering breath and leaned against the wall. His mother had bought the story. Justin was beyond relieved because knowing his mother, the instant she found out that it was Brian’s father that had caused all the bruises, she would have started a campaign to get Brian out of that house. And after that there was no telling where Brian would end up. No matter how much he wanted Brian to get away from that bastard of a father of his, he wasn’t going to force Brian into a situation that he didn’t want. Because even though he had never said it out loud, Justin knew that Brian didn’t want what was happening in his home made into a national crisis. 

Besides, it was only another eighteen months. In another year and a half, Brian would be eighteen and the two of them would find a place of their own, away from the WASP’s and Brian’s drunken father. It was a plan they’d formulated a while ago. As soon as Brian was eighteen (Justin’s would already be eighteen by then) they’d get an apartment and get away from their families. 

All they had to do was get through the next eighteen months. 

~*~*~ 

It shouldn’t have surprised him that his mother didn’t act as though she hadn’t seen him in nearly two days. She just sat in the ancient loveseat in their living room reading her Bible even though Brian had been convinced for years that she had the entire thing memorized. It often amazed him that his mother hadn’t become a nun. It would have solved so many problems. 

For starters he wouldn’t have even been born. 

But, at the same time, it meant that he wouldn’t know Justin. And for all the shit that he went through with his family, Brian wasn’t ready to give that up. With Justin around he at least had a chance at a life because he finally had a place to go when things got to be too much to bear. 

Up in his room, Brian heard the front door open and slam shut, announcing his father’s return from his bowling night with the boys. 

And for once he didn’t automatically cringe at the sound. 

~*~*~ 

It seemed like a lifetime since he and Brian had been wandering the halls of St. James. So much had happened in the past thirty-six hours that, at times, Justin had a hard time believing it. He and Brian were... together. Justin wasn’t too sure how to classify what he and Brian were to each other except that they were together. They’d been best friends since the day they’d met and after what had happened when Brian had appeared at his window two night’s before, it just made the feelings that much more intense. Which was why he had no problems, in his mind at least, referring to Brian as his boyfriend. 

Justin felt like he was on cloud nine even after the worrying he’d been doing the night before when Brian had gone back home. It wasn’t until he’d pulled up in front of Brian’s house to pick him up like he did every morning since Brian had let him go to his house the night they’d gone to Liberty and Brian ran out of the house in his usual full tilt manner that Justin felt himself relax. The brunette had vaulted into Rigby beside him and they took off towards the school. 

“I can’t believe you ate that entire pizza,” Brian laughed as Justin passed him one of the two chocolate Pop Tarts he’d brought with him to school. “Where the hell do you keep it all, Taylor?” 

Pop Tart held in his mouth while he unlocked his locker, Justin shot Brian a mock glare. 

“Maybe in your ass,” the soccer player mused, pointing towards Justin’s rear with the breakfast pastry he’d just taken a bite out of. 

By this time Justin had the lock open and was able to take the Pop Tart out of his mouth. “If I remember right, you had a pizza of your own.” 

“Yeah, a medium,” Brian assented, smirk firmly in place. “You, on the other hand, had a large pizza. There’s a noticeable difference.” 

“Four pieces,” Justin clarified before taking another bite of his Pop Tart. 

~*~*~ 

As they had done every morning since the second day of school, the pair ended up about halfway between their respective first classes after wandering the halls for about ten minutes. All around them were other teens who, like them, were putting off going to class as long as possible. For the most part Brian didn’t even notice them. He was still too busy trying to convince himself that the previous day had happened. 

When he’d woken up that morning, he was fully expecting to find out that the day before hadn’t been real. That he’d just had some really vivid hallucinations. Then he’d lifted his right hand and cause sight of the still tender tattoo on the inside of his middle finger. 

The knowing smile on Justin’s face when he’d pulled up half an hour later only added further confirmation to what Brian had already known. 

That the two of them were, for lack of a better term, together. 

Both of them looked up when the bell sounded, announcing that they had five minutes till first period began. 

“See you in fourth,” Brian said as he pushed himself away from the wall, turning slightly so that he was facing Justin completely. 

“Think you can last that long without me?” Justin teased, grin firmly in place. 

Rolling his eyes, Brian leaned forward and caught Justin’s lips in a quick kiss. “I don’t know. Do you think you’ll survive without me?” 

Justin slipped a hand behind Brian’s head, angling his head so that he could initiate a second kiss. This one longer and more intimate, the two of them remaining close afterwards, their foreheads touching. 

“Later,” Brian breathed against Justin’s lips. 

A final quick kiss then the blonde echoed the sentiment. “Later.” 

~*~*~ 

So caught up in each other, neither noticed the stares their little display had attracted. 

Not that either would have cared even if they had noticed.


	7. Cohorts in Crime

By noon, both he and Brian found themselves in the office of the St. James’ lowly guidance counselor. It had actually been at the beginning of forth period that they’d been summoned. The beginning of what would have been their gym class. The timing of this meeting was not lost on Justin just as he was sure it was not lost on Brian. 

“Now I’m sure that you boys know why you’re here,” the bird-like man said as he fidgeted nervously in his chair. 

“No, actually, I don’t,” Brian replied flippantly and Justin couldn’t help but smile when he saw the smirk on the other teen’s face. “‘Cause see, as far as I’m concerned, we weren’t doing anything wrong. At least not anything worth getting ‘counseled’ over.” 

That had Justin laughing out right. 

“You find this humourous, Mr. Taylor?” the guidance counselor demanded, turning his bespectacled gaze onto Justin. 

“Yeah, I do, Mr. Jensky,” Justin confirmed in between giggles. “I’m with Brian on this. I really don’t see what the big deal is.” 

“The ‘big deal,’ Mr. Taylor, is that you and Mr. Kinney were engaging in lewd behaviour in the hallway this morning,” the older man informed the teens. 

“You call that lewd behaviour?” Brian snorted with a roll of his eyes. “I have him a fucking kiss. The same as every other couple in this school but somehow I doubt that you bring each and every one of them down here.” 

Mr. Jensky folded his hands on his desk, leaning forward so that his elbows rested on the wooden surface. “The fact remains, Mr. Kinney, that the two of you are not a couple.” 

“What the fuck gives you the right to decide that?” Brian cried indignantly, his fingers clutching tightly at the armrests so that Justin knew he was barely controlling the urge to lunge at the guidance counselor. “You don’t get the right to dictate how people lead their lives. Especially not mine. If I want to be with Justin then I’ll be with Justin. Nothing you can say is gonna change that.” 

“Now, Mr. Kinney, you are confused,” Mr. Jensky tried to placate him. “And it’s completely normal. Many people your age go through this. Soon enough you will see that this is a phase and--” 

“NO!” Brian bellowed, interrupting the man. “This is not a fucking phase! I know what I’m feeling and nothing you say is gonna change that! So shut the fuck up!” 

The office was deathly silent after that. In all the time he had known him, Justin had never seen Brian that angry. There was an almost desperate edge to that anger. At first Justin didn’t really understand it. He watched Brian, trying to figure out just what was going on in the soccer player’s mind. Brian still had a death grip on the armrests, his knuckles turning nearly white with the strain. His body was rigid, his expression impassive. Save one thing. His eyes. The look in Brian’s eyes was a lot like the one that had been there two nights before when the brunette had shown up at his window late at night. 

But then, all at once, it clicked into place. 

Brian was scared, almost terrified. Only it wasn’t of the guidance counselor. Not entirely. He was scared that things were going to have to go back to how they had been before. Taking something from him. Brian had very few things that he could actually call his own and Mr. Jensky was threatening to take away something that Brian thought of as his. 

Not a bad assessment considering Justin felt the same way about him. 

~*~*~ 

There was no way that Jensky was gonna take Justin away from him. He was gonna try and talk Justin out of what they had done. And while he didn’t doubt for one moment that Justin loved him, at the same time Brian knew that it could still be taken away from him. He was never allowed to keep anything he cared about. Somehow or another it was always taken away from him. 

Only this time, with Justin, he wasn’t going to let it get taken away. 

“Now, Mr. Kinney, there is no need for such strong language,” Mr. Jensky said, interrupting the silence that fell. “I asked you and Mr. Taylor to come in here for a simple, calm conversation. There is no need for any anger.” 

“No, what you brought us down here for was to tell us that we’re mindless children and don’t know what we want,” Brian corrected him. “Or what we feel or think. Well let me tell you, buddy, I know exactly what I want.” 

“Mr. Kinney!” the guidance counselor cried in an outrage. “You are not to speak to members of the faculty in that manner. You are to address your elders with respect.” 

“That’s it, I’m outta here,” Brian growled as he shot to his feet. “I have better things to do with my time than to sit here and be treated like an imbecile.” 

~*~*~ 

Before Justin even had a chance to react, Brian was out of the room. He heard the door slam shut, startling Justin. Instinctively, he started to get up to follow Brian, but paused when he saw Mr. Jensky reaching for the phone. Without even asking he knew that the middle aged man was going to call Brian’s parents. He was glancing at a file that Justin could see had a picture of Brian paper clipped to its inside. 

“Don’t call his parents,” Justin said suddenly, catching the man off guard. 

“I’m sorry, Mr. Taylor, but in instances such as this it is necessary for the parents to be involved,” Mr. Jensky explained to him. 

“You can’t,” Justin insisted, his voice taking on a hard edge as his protective instincts where his boyfriend was concerned took over. “You’ll only be hurting yourself if you call is parents.” 

Which earned him an arched eyebrow from the guidance counselor. “Oh really? Care to explain this reasoning to me?” 

Justin sat back in his seat, confident in his rational. “Well, if you tell Brian’s parents about this, by tomorrow morning he’ll be enrolled in some military school. Now I’m sure you know just how much of a battle it was for the school board to convince Mr. and Mrs. Kinney to let Brian come here. The board wants him to improve our soccer team and is also paying his tuition. How do you think the board will react when they find out that you’re the reason Brian’s not going to St. James anymore?” 

Justin was quite proud of himself when he saw Mr. Jensky’s face pale. 

“Just so you know, my mother and Mrs. Kinney have become close since the whole campaign to get Brian here began,” Justin added as he rose to his feet. “So if my mom finds out about this, so will Brian’s and he’ll still be gone.” 

Without waiting to see the older man’s reaction, Justin left the guidance office, smiling and waving at the secretary as he passed. 

~*~*~ 

Even though it had snowed the night before, Brian was tempted to go outside and sit on the stone wall overlooking the football field. Gym classes had been moved inside and it was too cold for the students with spare to gather outside so he would have been alone. Except that Brian wanted to go somewhere that there was even less chance of someone finding him. 

That in mind, Brian found himself climbing the west staircase up to the storage room that made up the top floor of the school. Outside of the padlocked door was a small landing that Brian more or less slumped down on, dragging himself towards the door so that he could lean against it. 

Squeezing his eyes shut tight, Brian attempted to regain control of his emotions. He was beyond furious about the implications the guidance counselor had made. Brian knew exactly what he was doing with Justin. He loved him and there was no way that he was going to let some self righteous guidance counselor try to convince him otherwise. 

Suddenly, Brian became aware of footsteps climbing past the previous floor and instinctively knew that it was Justin. He cracked open his eyes enough to see a blonde head come into view before closing them again when the blonde hair gave way to blue eyes. 

“Just so you know,” Justin said as he crossed the landing to where Brian sat, “Jensky won’t be calling your house. He was gonna, but I managed to convince him that it wasn’t in his best interest to.” 

“And just how did you do that?” Brian mumbled, not protesting in the least when he felt Justin’s fingers sink into his hair and start massaging his scalp. 

Justin eased Brian down so that he was lying on the floor with his head pillowed on the blonde’s lap before answering. “I told him that if he called your parents they’d pull you out of here right away and send you off the military school. Then you wouldn’t be able to play for our shitty soccer team and the school board would be less than impressed with him if that happened. Oh, and he’s not calling my mom because our moms are best friends and if my mom knew she’d call your mom and you’d still be gone.” 

Brian couldn’t help but chuckle at that, rolling over onto his back so that he could peer up at Justin’s face. “For someone who looks so innocent you’re unbelievably diabolical. I can’t believe he bought that.” 

“Didn’t even question it,” Justin told him, his fingers smoothing Brian’s bangs back away from his face. 

“Thanks for doing it,” Brian mumbled, looking everywhere but at Justin. He wasn’t used to thanking people for anything, but Brian knew that he owed Justin a lot for what he had done. If his father had found out that he had a boyfriend Brian knew that his life would be hell. Jack Kinney was hardly a tolerant man. 

Justin leaned over and brushed a kiss against his forehead. “I would never let anything happen to you. I love you too much to see you hurt.” 

“But you can’t protect me all the time,” Brian reminded him, slowly pushing himself into a seated position once Justin sat back. “I still always end up having to go back there. And when I do... when I do there’s never any telling what’s gonna happen.” 

There was silence then. Justin didn’t say anything, but he moved closer and wrapped his arms around Brian’s shoulders, placing his chin on the brunette’s shoulder. “Well then I’ll just have to do my best to make sure that you’re looked after when we’re together.” 

There was a faint smile on Brian’s face when he turned his head to rest his forehead against Justin’s. Not a full fledged one, but enough to let Justin know that he was calming down some. Which he was. He didn’t feel like attacking anyone or punching out Jensky. Having Justin around always seemed to have a strangely calming effect on him. 

Of course, Brian knew that Justin was capable of having the exact opposite effect on him. If Chris Hobbs or any of his lackeys tried to made good on their threats, Brian would do everything and anything he was able to in order to make them pay for hurting Justin. 

Justin was the one thing in his life that he wasn’t going to give up. 

~*~*~ 

Even though he wouldn’t have changed anything that had happened that day, Justin dreaded going home that afternoon. He knew that no matter what he did or how well he tried to hide it, it wouldn’t be long before his parents found out about what had happened that morning. Or what it meant. His mother was on the school board so it was only a matter of time before she heard about it then his dad would find out and he’d be one dead twink. 

Which was why he was relieved that Brian didn’t have to worry about that. Brian would be safe because his parents weren’t the least bit involved in the school and would never heard about it. At least that way. There was still the slim chance that Brian’s parents would find out about their son’s sexual orientation, but Justin was determined to do everything in his power to make sure that didn’t happen. 

“Mom, I’m home!” Justin shouted as he came through the front door. “Did you go grocery shopping?” 

“Don’t yell,” his mother called from the kitchen. “And go into the garage and bring the rest of the bags in from the car.” 

“Yes, mother,” Justin singsonged, dropping his backpack on the ground and continuing on towards the garage door. 

Not wanting to have to make two trips, Justin ended up lugging all three remaining boxes at the same time. There was a clear container of chocolate chip cookies on top of one bag and after nudging the lid with his nose, he was able to knock it off and dipped his face in to bite onto one of the cookies. Justin kept his head tilted back at the proper angle so that he could eat the cookies without dropping it. 

“Justin Taylor!” his mother cried when he entered the kitchen with a half eaten cookie hanging out of his mouth. “How is it possible that you’ve gone this long without learning any manners?” 

“Ah do fo ‘af mawnerz,” Justin insisted around a mouthful of cookie. 

Jennifer rolled her eyes and took the bag with the cookies from her son’s arms. “I don’t know why I bother half the time. No matter what your father and I do, you will always be a sloppy teenage boy.” 

Justin sidled up to his mother and brushed a kiss against her cheek as he reached over her shoulder for another cookie. “Love you too, Mom. Did you get the Bagel Bites?” 

“Yes, I got the Bagel Bites, sweetheart,” she assured him, reaching into the bag on her right and pulling out a large box of the snack food. “There’s three boxes of these so you and Brian better not go through these in one night.” 

“We’re not that bad, Mom,” Justin smirked just before he shoved the entire cookie into his mouth at once. “Besides, we’re growing boys. We need to eat.” 

“I’m not opposed to feeding the two of you. Lord knows Brian’s too skinny as it is and at least when he’s helping you eat your father and I out of house and home I know he’s getting enough to eat,” his mother said, not really paying attention to whether or not Justin was listening to her. “His parents are back home now, right?” 

Justin nodded his head automatically. “Yeah, I think Bri said they got home sometime yesterday afternoon. Oh! Cap’n Crunch.” 

Jennifer snatched the box out of his hands and pushed him away from the counter. “Out. I want there to actually be some food by the time I’m done unpacking this. Go watch TV or something.” 

He grabbed one more cookie before darting out of the kitchen to change out of his uniform. 

~*~*~ 

Brian cautiously opened the front door, shaking the snow out of his hair as he stepped over the threshold. He pushed his bangs out of his eyes as he dropped his bag down on the ground before removing his coat that had most definitely seen better days. Brian toed off his sneakers before heading deeper into the house which felt oddly abandoned. Which meant that Claire was at her boyfriends, his mother had closeted herself at the church and his old man was still at work, leaving Brian as the house’s sole inhabitant for at least a little while. 

Making a beeline for the kitchen, Brian began searching through the cupboards for something to eat. He hadn’t eaten much at lunch. After what had happened with Jensky, Brian hadn’t had the patience to deal with the mass of snobs so he and Justin had gone to the deli down the street. Once there, Justin had eaten his sandwich plus half of Brian’s as well as both their shares of chips. He’d been hungry, but he hadn’t been able to force much food down and was now paying the price. 

The only problem was that there wasn’t much in his house that he wanted to eat. In the end, he grabbed an apple and stomped up to his room, snatching up his backpack on the way. He took a big bite out of the apple, holding it in his mouth as he climbed the stairs, sifting through his bag for his math text book. 

Brian was halfway up the stairs when he heard the front door open and close. He tensed momentarily, but continued on the rest of the way without bothering to find out who was home. More than likely it was his mother. It was still too early for Jack to make an appearance and Claire would stay away as long as possible obsessing over her latest boyfriend. 

For the life of him, Brian couldn’t figure out how his sister went through boyfriends so fast yet still claimed to love each one. And his father always chasing after whatever woman was willing. Both of them were so casual about who they were with it made Brian wonder if they actually felt anything at all. There was no possible way they could have. They would both sleep with anyone and everyone that even looked at them. Brian knew that he would never be able to do that. The only person that he could picture himself with like that was Justin. Justin was the only one he trusted enough to be that vulnerable with. 

“Is that you, Brian?” 

Ignoring his mother’s voice, Brian continued upstairs to his room. He knew that his mother wouldn’t follow him upstairs, wouldn’t even care whether he answered her or not. Most of the time she didn’t care what he did. None of his family did. He was an unwanted blotch that they couldn’t get rid of which was why he was already counting down the days until he could move out and live on his own. On his own with Justin. There was no doubt in Brian’s mind that he would still be with Justin in eighteen months. He would have to be. Something would have to be seriously fucked with the world if he wasn’t with Justin. The only time the world made sense to him was when he was with Justin. At least then he didn’t feel like he was a waste of space. 

Math textbook in one hand, Brian allowed his backpack to drop to the ground as he entered his room and used his free hand to take the apple from his mouth. He kicked the door shut and stalked over to his bed, stretching out on his back and shifted into a comfortable position. He drew his knees up enough to prop the text book up and flipped open to the chapter his class was working on. Brian fumbled with his freehand towards his nightstand for a pen, wanting to make some notes in the book. 

In no time at all, he had all the problems solved so that they matched the answers at the back of the book and set the book down beside him. 

“Sonnyboy, get your ass down here now!” Jack yelled from downstairs. 

Even though rationally he knew it was an idiotic thing to do, Brian purposely chose not to answer him. Instead he reached for his English book which he’d left on the nightstand that day and began to read about Iago’s evil plots to destroy Othello. 

“Sonnyboy!” 

That time Jack’s voice was in the upstairs hallway, probably just at the top of the stairs. 

Then the door was slammed open and Brian instantly shot to his feet. 

“When I call you, Sonnyboy, I expect you to answer,” Jack growled as he advanced on his teenage son. 

Brian didn’t back down. He stood stalk still, the book clutched tightly in his right hand. “I’m doing my homework.” 

Jack got right up in his face, his breath stinking of alcohol. “Well I need you to take the garbage out. It’s about time you earned your keep around here.” 

“I’ll do it when I’m done my homework,” Brian ground out, glaring into eyes identical to his. 

The Irishman lifted a hand a though to strike his youngest, but paused in the motion when he saw that the boy didn’t even flinch. The two continued to stare at each other, neither one of them wanting to be the first to back down. 

It was the phone ringing that interrupted the stare-off. Not removing his eyes from his father’s angry gaze, Brian fumbled for the phone, picking it up just before it rang a third time. 

“Yeah,” he mumbled. 

“Hey there, Brian. Let me talk to your old man,” one of his father’s poker buddies spoke up. 

Holding the phone out, Brian waited expectantly for Jack to take the receiver from him. “It’s for you.” 

“I’ll take it downstairs,” Jack growled and was then gone. 

Only when he heard his door slam shut did Brian release a shuddering breath. He collapsed on his bed, his entire body shaking and he began sucking in lungfuls of air. The copy of Othello fell from his nerveless fingers and fluttered to the ground as Brian fell backwards. He wrapped his arms around himself and willed himself to calm down. Willed the shaking to stop and the unshed tears to evaporate.


	8. Cohorts in Crime

“I’m not fucking going.” 

Justin arched an eyebrow in his direction. 

“It’s not gonna happen, Sunshine.” 

The other eyebrow quickly joined it. 

“There is nothing you can say or do that will make me change my mind.” 

The blonde silently rolled his eyes. 

Brian arched his back, a strangled gasp leaking from between his lips. “O-okay. Maybe there... maybe there is something you can do.... Oh shit!” 

“You ready to negotiate now, Kinney?” Justin asked as he pressed a kiss to the inside of Brian’s thigh. “Or are we gonna skip that and you’ll just concede defeat?” 

Groaning loudly as the lips moved up higher, towards the place where his thigh and groin met, Brian shook his head. “Not happening, Sunshine. I never admit defeat.” 

“Well today you’re gonna,” Justin informed him smugly. 

It was for that reason alone that Brian was holding out despite Justin’s best efforts otherwise. Not only was he having fun watching Justin get more and more frustrated by his non-compliance, but the blow job was definitely an added incentive. In the nearly three months they’d been together, the boys had made love enough times to learn each other’s bodies completely. It wasn’t always easy considering they would have to wait for one of their houses to be empty before they would chance it. While neither had a problem with the kids at St. James knowing they were gay, Brian dreaded the day when his own parents found out. 

“Don’t you love me?” Justin pouted as he rested his chin on Brian’s hip, peering up at his face while his left hand continued to pump his shaft. 

It took every ounce of self control Brian possessed not to arch into Justin’s touch. “You know I love you, Justin.” 

“So why don’t you want to spend Valentine’s Day with me?” the blonde asked, tilting his head to brush a kiss against Brian’s skin. 

“I do want to spend Valentine’s Day with you,” Brian corrected him, reaching down his body to sink his fingers into Justin’s hair. “I just don’t want to spend Valentine’s Day at your parents country club. Poor Mick kid from the wrong side of the tracks, remember?” 

“You’re not a poor Mick kid from the wrong side of the tracks,” Justin insisted as he crawled up Brian’s body so that they were lying side by side. “You’re a working class Irish-American who also happens to be my boyfriend. Besides, just because your parents don’t come from money doesn’t mean you won’t accomplish great things. You’re gonna end up ruling the world one day. I’m sure of it.” 

Rolling onto his side, Brian pulled Justin even closer and shifted his lower body just enough so that their erections rubbed together. “Rationally, you’ve gotta know that we can’t go together, Justin. I don’t fit in with your WASP society and we’d be under scrutiny all night. That means no dancing together, no being like we normally are, no nothing. None of this.” 

~*~*~ 

After three months, Justin was surprised that he hadn’t learned better. Brian was downright devious when he set his mind to it. Even so, when Justin felt the hand wrap around his cock, he couldn’t help but let out a startled gasp. The tongue in cheek smirk Brian gave him let Justin know that he should have expected something like that considering they were both naked, lying side by side and that Justin had just been in the process of giving him a blowjob. 

“Can we please discuss this after you’ve been inside me?” Justin mumbled, stretching upwards so that his lips moved against Brian’s. 

“Whatever you say, Sunshine,” Brian grinned, releasing Justin’s dick and sliding his hand up the slender torso to rub his nipple. 

An advantage of their three month relationship was that sex between them was no longer quite so awkward as it had been in the beginning. There were still moments, however, when one, if not both of them, would become unsure, fumbling. Such moments were becoming further and further apart as the two became more aquatinted with each other’s bodies. 

Justin had the added advantage of being able to immortalize Brian’s image on paper. Even though most of the time the brunette balked at the idea, Justin still had more than a fair share of sketches and charcoals of the other teen sprawled out in all his naked glory. Because, despite what Brian tended to think, he was beautiful. All trim muscles and hard lines... just like a Greek sculpture or the model for Michelangelo’s David. 

The feel of cool lube squirted into his hole put Justin’s attention back where it belonged. On his lover who loomed above him, a slight smile curving the corners of his lips. 

“Well look who’s come back to join us,” Brian teased as he slipped a finger into Justin’s ass, stretching the opening. 

Justin had every intention of making a smart comment in return, but was prevented, or rather, distracted, by Brian who added a second finger alongside the first, scissoring the two digits and creating all sorts of wonderful sensations within him. Instead, Justin slipped a hand behind Brian’s head, pulling him forward so that he was once again able to devour his lips. And even though the sensation was hardly a new, Justin found his lips tingling as he coaxed Brian’s lips open so that he could slip his tongue inside his mouth, the feeling enhanced by the remnants of the spicy Thai food they’d eaten for dinner not too long ago. 

When Brian eased his fingers out of his hole, Justin wasn’t sure whether to sob or cheer. It was a decision that was quickly made for him when he felt the head of Brian’s cock bumping against his asshole; as much as he loved the feel of Brian’s fingers in him, his cock was even better. 

~*~*~ 

From the sounds of Justin’s moans, Brian was sure that he was doing at least a descent job of it. For one thing it meant that he was remembering to thrust his hips. On more than one occasion Brian had become so involved in the simple feel of Justin’s passage surrounding his dick that he’d forgotten to move. Other times it was the desire to stay forever encased inside the blonde that kept his hips stationary. 

“Ah!” Brian cried suddenly as he felt Justin’s inner muscles clamp down on his dick. 

“You’re doing it again,” Justin murmured against the side of his throat, the grin evident in his voice. 

Chuckling quietly, Brian nudged Justin’s head away from his throat so that he could search out the blonde’s lips. “How can I help it if I lose myself every time I’m in you? If it’s anyone’s fault it’s yours, Taylor.” 

“Oh sure, blame it on the bottom guy,” Justin laughed, moving his hips against Brian’s to incite action. 

With little more than a quick jerk of his right eyebrow, Brian flipped them over so that Justin was straddling his lower body, his cock never slipping from the artist’s hole. Justin met the silent challenge with a brilliant grin, circling his ass over Brian’s groin which sent both of them groaning. From the sounds coming from deep within Justin’s throat he could tell that the blonde was close so Brian did what he could to further the process, closing his fist over the leaking shaft bouncing over his stomach. 

It was Justin’s climax which spurred his own, the moment freezing itself in time in the same way it momentarily stilled their movements. 

~*~*~ 

As he drew the comforter up over their still heated bodies, Justin couldn’t help but gaze at Brian’s sleeping face. There was some small part of him that felt he should have been offended to have Brian constantly nodding off almost immediately after having sex, especially when he was the dominant one, but he couldn’t be. Justin knew how little Brian slept at home. Not only was he always up all hours doing his homework, but also staying awake until his father stumbled in after a night out drinking with his buddies. It was only when he heard his father more or less fall into bed beside his mother, passing out, that Brian would allow himself to let down his guard enough to fall into a light sleep. 

It took only seconds for Brian to fall asleep when he was in Justin’s bed. And even though it went unacknowledged, Justin knew that it meant Brian trusted him when he was able to fall asleep so easily in his arms. 

“Night, Bri,” Justin whispered as he smoothed Brian’s damp bangs away from his forehead then brushed a kiss against it. 

Settling down himself, he wasn’t the least surprised to find Brian’s body moving instantly towards his, the long limbs wrapping around him. When Brian settled, the dark head tucked into the curve of his throat, Justin pressed his cheek against the top of Brian’s head and allowed sleep to overtake him as well. 

~*~*~ 

“I don’t have anything to wear to this country club gala,” Brian protested as he and Justin sat at one of the tables in St. James’ cafeteria two days later. “These are the only dressy clothes I own.” 

Justin’s face scrunched up in frustration as he played with his submarine sandwich, deciding which half to pick up first. “What about that suit you were bitching about having to wear for the Christmas Mass at your mom’s church?” 

“Growth spurt last month,” Brian replied automatically as he carefully balanced a spoonful of tomato noodle soup to his mouth, blowing on it before sliding the contents past his lips. “Two inches taller and five pounds heavier. My suit barely fit then so there’s no way it’ll fit now. At least not without me looking like a fucking scarecrow.” 

“Well I think you’d look like a sexy scarecrow,” Justin grinned, hefting up the large of the two halves of his sandwich. He was just about to take a bite out of it when his entire face lit up and he practically began to bounce up and down on his seat. “What about that second-hand retro store down on Liberty? I’ll bet they have really cheap clothes there and if anyone was meant to pull off the retro seventies look, it was you, Bri. Especially with that shaggy look you’ve got going on.” 

Brian snorted, ducking away as Justin reached across the table to swipe at his long bangs. “I’m sure that look’ll go over well with the country club set. I’ll look like a freak.” 

“No you won’t, Bri, I promise,” Justin insisted, his cheeks puffed out like a chipmunk’s as a result of the mouthful of food he had at the moment. “You’ll look like a mortal god.” 

~*~*~ 

“Why do I listen to you?” Brian groaned as Justin placed another pair of pants across his already piled arms. 

Rolling his eyes in his boyfriend’s direction, Justin continued to glance through the pants rack, selecting a pair of charcoal slacks that would look amazing with the crimson shirt already waiting for Brian in the dressing room. “You listen to me because I’m an artist and I know what is aesthetically pleasing. And if it takes all day I’m going to make you the envy of everyone at the Valentine’s Day thing.” 

“You do realize that I still haven’t agreed to go with you, right?” 

“Then humour me,” Justin countered, purposely choosing a pair of horridly tacky pants he knew Brian would never wear just to shut him up. “Now go start trying things on while I look for accessories.” 

At Brian’s panic-stricken face, Justin steered the other teen in the direction of the changing room before he could voice any protests. There was only one accessory that he had in mind and he was confident that Brian wouldn’t protest it. It was a very natural thing and already Justin could envision it on his lover. Only when he was sure that Brian wasn’t going to end up peeking around the changing room curtain, Justin made his way over to the main counter and the only accessory he had any intention of adding to whatever ensemble Brian choose. 

“You look like you’ve got quite a challenge on your hands there,” Sally, the twenty-something woman behind the counter commented as Justin approached. 

Justin grinned, his gaze automatically turning back to the changing rooms for a moment. “Yeah, well he’s worth it. One day I’ll even convince him of that.” 

“Ahh, one of those,” she murmured, the lower part of her face obscured by the shirt she was in the process of folding. 

“Did you date one of those?” Justin asked, his attention once again focused on the probable college student. 

Sally shook her head, setting the shirt down and leaning with her arms crossed over it on the counter. “I am one of those. At least that’s what Irina always claims. One thing I can tell you for sure, though, is that once you get one of us to admit that we’re in love it’s a permanent thing. We’ve been together five years. Since I was seventeen.” 

“Sixteen,” Justin grinned at the disco trash couturier with the multi-coloured rainbow hair. “Three months so far.” 

“New love. It’s a wonderful thing,” Sally reminisced, one corner of her lips tilting up. “Keep in mind that you’ve gotta stick it out through the hard stuff too. Life’s not easy, especially not for us Libertarians.” 

“Libertarians?” Justin questioned as he picked up the accessory he wanted for Brian. 

Sally smile got very wide at that. “It’s a name I made up. Libertarians. People who inhabit Liberty Avenue like you, me and that oh so gorgeous creature peering at us from the other side of the store.” 

Dropping what was going to become Brian’s Valentine’s Day present on the counter, Justin spun around to see which of the ensembles Brian had put on first. “Holy shit.” 

The charcoal slacks clung perfectly to Brian’s hips before dropping in straight lines down the long planes of his long, well muscled legs ending just above his bare feet. The shirt was the crimson one Justin had envisioned him in. Like the pants, it was cut as though it had been meant to fit Brian all along. Leaving the first three buttons undone, the rest of it molded almost entirely to Brian’s upper body and arms, flowing slightly over his lean stomach. Combined with having his hair rumpled as a result of removing his tee, Brian looked incredibly sexy and incredibly fuckable. 

“So does this pass?” Brian asked, holding his arms out to his side as he turned in a slow circle. “Am I fit to spend a night socializing with the country club set?” 

~*~*~ 

“I told you that we could find something amazing for you to wear really cheap,” Justin said smugly as the two of them walked side by side along Liberty, Brian holding a pair of bags from the clothing store in one hand, his free arm wrapped around the blonde’s waist. “No one is going to be able to take their eyes off of you. And you’re all mine.” 

“So you want your parents to discover that you’re a cock-loving queer?” Brian asked, arching an eyebrow for emphasis. 

As he expected, that comment gave Justin pause. It was a reality that Justin wanted nothing more than to ignore. The artist had a tendency to be more of a dreamer than a realist, leaving the real world aspect of their relationship to him. 

“You do realize that this gala thing you’re making me go to isn’t going to be like you seem to think it will?” Brian asked casually, frowning slightly. “We’re gonna hafta play it straight, Sunshine. No hugging, no touching, no kissing. We’ll have to dance it up with the debutantes instead of each other. Not the most enjoyable way to spend Valentine’s Day.” 

“We’ll be together,” Justin offered, smiling crookedly. “And since we’ll be going separately in Rigby we can show up later and leave early. We’ll only be there long enough to make my parents happy and the rest of the night will be ours.” 

“Sounds like you have plans for this event,” Brian smirked. 

“That’s for me to know and you to find out.” 

~*~*~ 

“You’re bringing Brian?” Jennifer demanded as she searched through her jewelry box for the earrings she was going to wear to the club party. 

Justin shrugged his shoulders casually from where he stood in the doorway of his parents’ bedroom. “Of course I’m bringing Brian. I want to at least have someone there I enjoy talking with so why not bring my best friend? At least this way I won’t be sulking in a corner the whole time.” 

“I don’t know, Justin,” Jennifer frowned, glancing at her son in the mirror. “Will Brian really fit in at the club?” 

“About as much as I do,” Justin chuckled, his mind going back to the Christmas party at the club when he’d purposely shot down his parents’ attempts to pair him up with one of the stuck up debutantes. “Besides, it’s not like Brian’s some barbarian. He gets along fine at school so what’s the difference if he’s stuck in a social setting and not simply an educational one?” 

“Brian isn’t one of us,” Jennifer insisted as she inserted a diamond earring into her left ear. “He’d feel out of place there and I know that you don’t want that.” 

Justin pursed his lips in attempt to keep his temper in check. “Why don’t you just say what’s on your mind, mother. You think Brian’s nothing but trash. Admit it.” 

“I think--” 

“Don’t lie to me, mother,” Justin interrupted, his jaw clenched tightly. “It’s okay for me to be friends with Brian. Oh no, you’ve got no problem with that because it makes me look like some do good-er rich kid taking the poor outcast under my wing. Well fuck that!” 

“Justin!” Jennifer cried in shock, the right earring dropping from her fingers. 

With one final glare, Justin turned and stormed out of the house. 

“Justin, wait!” 

~*~*~ 

It was a relief that neither of his parents were home when he was getting ready for the Valentine’s thing at Justin’s country club. Jack and Joanie weren’t together, but at least they weren’t at home to see what he was wearing. His father would go ballistic if he saw the less than butch clothing he had on. Though he had felt awkward wearing the sleek clothes Justin had selected at first it hadn’t taken long for him to become accustomed to the nearly form fitting garments. The only fault Brian could find in his ensemble were the well worn combat boots he was wearing. 

As he put the final touches on his just out of bed hair style, Brian glanced down at the small wrapped present sitting on his dresser. A Valentine’s present for Justin. It wasn’t much-- he had spent most of his money on Justin’s birthday present which was a week away --but Justin cared more about thought than content. A rarity from what he’d seen in the rest of his classmates at St. James. 

“He’s gonna hate it,” Brian groaned, turning away from his dresser and dropping down onto his bed. “Why did I think this would be a good idea? I know why. It was that goddamned Sally. This wasn’t a good idea. This is some romantic delusion cooked up by a hyped up dyke.” 

Nonetheless, when he heard the horn blare in the driveway, Brian snatched the box up on his way out of his room. Even if he didn’t like the present anymore, he couldn’t very well not give Justin something for Valentine’s Day. His birthday present would make up for his lapse of sanity. 

As he opened the front door to exit, Brian came to a dead halt at the sight in front of him. Standing less than two feet in front of him was Justin. Only not the Justin he had expected to see. The one dressed in Dockers and a plain white dress shirt, tucked in. What he saw as a wet dream come to life. 

The Dockers Brian had expected were replaced by a pair of dark grey slacks that were obviously expensively tailored and the plain white dress shirt had magically become a dark blue silk one, untucked. Like Brian he had opted for the tousled bedhead look which was in wonderful contrast to his sophisticated black, knee-length overcoat. 

“Nice shoes,” Brian commented, nodding in the direction of Justin’s black boots. 

~*~*~ 

Whatever anger or frustration had been consuming him until that point vanished the instant Brian opened the front door. Even though he had seen Brian once before in the ensemble it didn’t prepare him for his second viewing of it. He could only stare at his boyfriend and consequently missed the first thing he said. Once the words registered in his mind, Justin couldn’t help but grin. 

“Yours aren’t half bad either,” he said once he was able to find his voice. Glancing back at the driveway momentarily, Justin made sure there were no other vehicles but Rigby there before asking, “Are you the only home right now?” 

“Yeah, everyone’s gone,” he confirmed, idly scratching at the back of his neck. “Why?” 

Once again Justin found himself hesitating. “I um.... I got you a Valentine’s Day present and I didn’t really want to give it to you in the jeep-- Rigby. I would have. If your parents or your sister were here I would have given it to you in Rigby-- the jeep --but since they’re not, I was thinking maybe... I don’t know. Fuck. You know this sounded great in my head on the way over.” 

“Did you want to come up and see my room?” Brian said in the brief lull that followed. 

“Yeah,” Justin gasped out, suddenly relieved that he didn’t have to talk anymore. 

So for the first time in the five and a half months he and Brian had known each other, Justin set foot in the Kinney household. He wasn’t entirely sure what he’d been expecting, but had a feeling that it wasn’t the sparsely decorated home he entered. For the most part any and all decorations seemed to be of a religious nature which shouldn’t have been surprising considering what Brian had told him about his mother. It almost surprised him, as they were heading up the stairs to the second floor, that there were photographs of Brian and his sister lining the wall. Class photos as well as a few of the siblings from when they were babies. 

There were four doors opening onto the upstairs hallway and it was no challenge at all for him to identify Brian’s door. A poster for the old Pink Floyd movie “The Wall” which also happened to be Brian’s favourite album was a dead giveaway. The almost grotesque image of a screaming head was a frightening visage that would have kept Justin away had he not known that it was Brian’s room. 

The cluttered space they entered was entirely unlike the rest of the house. There was actual evidence that a person was currently inhabiting the room. The walls were covered with pictures, posters and magazine clippings about everything from soccer to movies to politics. A shelf was filled with well worn paperbacks, a second with soccer trophies. Below that second shelf, against the wall, were Brian’s soccer cleats and a scuffed up ball pushed down on top of a duffel bag. What caught his attention most, however, was the world map tacked up above the bed. 

“Shouldn’t you have a picture of me tacked up there?” Justin asked as he pointed up at the map. 

Brian rolled his eyes at the question. “I’d be too freaked out having you staring at me the whole time to actually get any sleep.” 

“You don’t mind it when I do it at my house.” 

“Oh I so did not need to know that,” Brian groaned as he slumped down on his bed, fingering a wrapped box that seemed to have materialized out of nowhere. 

“That for me?” Justin asked before he could stop himself. 

~*~*~ 

For a moment Brian found himself unable to respond. He hadn’t even realized that he’d taken out the box until Justin said something. He still felt unsure about giving Justin the gift, but it was too late to pretend that he’d combined Justin’s birthday and Valentine’s Day presents into one. Something which would have been reluctantly easy given that he’d only started working at the supermarket a month ago and was still building up his bank account. 

“Unless you think there’s someone else I should give this to, it’s yours,” Brian managed at last. 

“There’d better not be someone else,” was Justin’s quick response. “‘Cause if there was I’d have to hurt you.” 

Reaching his free hand up, Brian slipped a hand behind Justin’s neck and pulled his head down. “There’s never gonna be anyone else,” he told the blonde before kissing him soundly on the lips. 

“That’s a very good answer,” Justin grinned against his lips. “Best one you could have come up with.” 

“So do you want your present or not?” Brian asked as he sat back. 

Justin scowled down at him. “Do you even have to ask that question?” 

Brian stared down at the gift for another moment, hesitantly, before relinquishing it to his boyfriend. He leaned back, putting on the pretense of not caring when, in fact, he was scared out of his wits. 

“Holy shit!” 

Having heard that tone of voice many times in his relationship with Justin as both friends and lovers, Brian knew exactly what it meant. Slowly lifting his eyes, he peered up at Justin’s awe-struck expression, suddenly relieved that he had chosen what he did. 

“If you say it’s a Buffy ring I’m taking it back,” Brian said automatically. “It was bad enough hearing that dyke call it that without you too. It’s an Irish Cladaugh.” 

“So do you get to chose how I wear it or do I?” Justin whispered, his eyes never straying from the ring which he was now holding. 

At this, Brian stood up so that it was Justin who looked up at him as the blue eyes followed his movement. Keeping his eyes locked on the blonde’s, his fingers unerringly found the designed surface of the ring and smoothed over it. “Well seeing as how we’re not married and I’m not proposing, you can’t wear it on your left hand. What I’m hoping is that you’ll wear it on your right ring finger with the hear pointing inwards.” 

~*~*~ 

It was not lost on Justin just how much the words cost Brian to say. Justin had learned early on that Brian viewed words and actions very differently. It was easy to say something, but to actually live up to those words was a completely different matter. So while Justin could say that he loved Brian as much as he wanted, wearing the ring the way it was meant to in order to indicate his heart belonging to someone was the physical proof Brian needed. 

Smiling confidently, Justin handed the ring to Brian whose eyes widened suddenly in panic. “I know that I love you, Bri, and you know it to. So I want you to be the one to make it official.” 

Justin held his hand steady as Brian carefully slipped the ring onto his right ring finger, the heart facing inwards and the crown outwards. Of course, he couldn’t say for certain whether it was his hand that was shaking or Brian’s, but it was to be expected considering how important this moment was in their relationship. It cemented it in a physical way that was far more permanent than the stolen moments they were able to make love to each other. 

“You know, this really makes my present anti-climactic,” Justin said in attempt to break the sudden tension that followed. 

That got one of the few full-fledged smiles Brian let out. “Someone I don’t think that’s possible.” 

“Well don’t say I didn’t warn you,” Justin said as he removed the small box from the pocket of his coat. He handed it to Brian with a lop-sided grin then immediately put his hands back into his pockets. 

“We seem to have a theme going here,” Brian chuckled as he opened the rectangular box, revealing the cowry shell bracelet inside. He then leaned over and brushed a kiss against Justin’s lips. “I love it and I love you.” 

As Brian moved to fasten the shell bracelet to his wrist, Justin snatched it out of his hands, a sudden thought popping into his mind. 

“What are you doing?” 

Holding the two ends of the bracelet in his apart, Justin began his explanation. “Okay, now with the ring you gave me, each way you wear it means something different. Not involved, in love, engaged and married. So this bracelet’s gonna have the same meanings. If you’re not wearing it that means... well let’s just say we’re never gonna hafta worry about that just like I’m never gonna turn this ring around. If you wear it with the shells facing out on your right wrist it means we’re together and happy. You can wear it on your left wrist with the leather cord facing out if we ever get engaged and then again with the shells facing out if we get married.” 

“You’re completely insane,” Brian laughed as he allowed Justin to fasten the leather cord to his right wrist. “But I love you anyway.” 

Justin cupped Brian’s face in his hands, guiding his face down so that their foreheads were pressed together. “Love you too, babe.... So what say you and I go cause a sensation at the Rochester Club.”


	9. Cohorts in Crime

As they neared the Rochester Country Club, Justin felt his determination dwindling somewhat. He wanted his parents, and everyone else, to know that they couldn’t simply write Brian off as a second class citizen and the best way that he could think of to do that was by showing them just how similar he was to Brian. It often amazed Justin that his parents hadn’t found out about his and Brian’s relationship over the three months following their coming out at school. 

There was no doubt in Justin’s mind that his parents knew nothing about the relationship because not only would his father not have been able to keep his temper in check about the situation, but his mother was unable to keep something like that a secret. Something which Justin found even harder to believe considering just how often Brian spent the night. 

His gaze falling momentarily onto the ring Brian had just given him spurred Justin’s resolve. Although much of the reasons behind it went unsaid, Justin knew exactly how important the ring was. Tightening his grip on the steering wheel, Justin glanced over at Brian who was staring pensively out of the window. 

“Do I even want to know what you’re thinking about?” Justin asked casually as he slowed to a stop at a red light. 

A ghost of a smile flickered over Brian’s features. “Are you sure that you really want to know?” 

That got a laugh from Justin who rolled his eyes dramatically. “You are such a drama queen,” he snorted, taking his hand off the gear shift to lightly swat at Brian’s arm. “I’m being serious, Bri. You look like something’s bothering you.” 

“And you look like you’re reading to much into things,” Brian countered with a laugh. “I’m fine, Just. It’s just that I’ve never been to something like this and I’m not too sure how I’m supposed to act.” 

“Who says you’re supposed to act way? I’ve never had to act any way and I get along just fine,” Justin pointed out as he tapped the turning indicator for a left turn. 

“And you don’t need to act,” Brian pointed out. “You’ve been raised in this life, Justin. It’s second nature to you. Not me. I have no clue what I’m doing. I’ll look like a freak.” 

That time Justin set his hand down on Brian’s thigh, squeezing lightly. “It’s impossible for you to look like a freak, Bri. Physically impossible. We’re just gonna make an appearance, dance and let the rest handle itself.” 

Dropping his head back against the headrest, Brian let out an exaggerated sigh. “How the fuck do I let you talk me into these things?” 

“Because your sense of adventure rivals mine,” Justin said with a shrug. “Now suck it up and get ready to enjoy the night.” 

~*~*~ 

It was a mistake. Deep down Brian knew that it was a mistake. Despite what Justin liked to believe, he really didn’t belong in his world. It was one thing to act as though he belonged in the halls at St. James, but the country club was an entirely different matter all together. Brian was convinced that they’d all see him for what he was in an instant, a good for nothing Mick kid who would never fit into their selective group. 

Brian still couldn’t figure out how Justin had managed to talk him into going to the Valentine’s thing. Sure, it was their first Valentine’s Day which meant it was a necessity that they spend it together... except there were so many other places they could have celebrated. 

“Don’t worry, we’ll end up back at my place long before my parents decide to venture home,” Justin assured him, once again answering his unasked question. “Then we’ll have a proper celebration.” 

“That so?” Brian asked with an arched eyebrow. 

Justin nodded his head emphatically. “That is most definitely so. I’m gonna fuck you so hard that you won’t be able to walk tomorrow.” 

“You do remember that I have to work tomorrow, right?” Brian smirked. 

His smirk faded completely as Justin pulled Rigby into the parking lot of the Rochester Country Club. Brian knew that he’d been by the club countless times before on the way to soccer games. However, there was a definite difference between simply driving past and actually knowing that he was going to set foot inside. That he would be mingling with the upper crust of Pittsburgh society. It was incredibly unnerving considering the highest class of people he’d ever associated himself with beforehand were the guys at his father’s club and that was an Irish pub owned by a drunk from the Old World and inhabited by his equally drunk buddies. 

“Aww, you mean I can’t leave you bow-legged?” Justin teased, managing a pout even though his eyes were dancing with laugher. “And here I was planning on making love to my man all night long.” 

Brian turned his head completely so that his cheek rested against the back of the seat as he gazed over at Justin. “What about me?” 

Taking advantage of s stop light, Justin leaned over to cover Brian’s lips with his own in a lingering kiss. “Don’t worry, babe, I promise you’ll enjoy the night.” 

“I don’t doubt it for a moment,” Brian mumbled against his lips as he slid back. 

~*~*~ 

Even though he tried his best, Justin could feel his anxiety growing as he pulled into the Rochester’s parking lot. So he did his best to push all those feelings aside and concentrated instead on what he knew he had to do which was play the part of the straight country club brat who was attending a party stag with his best friend instead of the openly gay to everyone but his parents teenager who was attending a party with his boyfriend who just so happened to also be his best friend. 

“Don’t worry, Sunshine, we’ll be fine,” Brian promised him as he unfastened his seatbelt. 

Justin pretended to look offended as he looked over at the brunette, “You do realize that I’m the one who should be saying that to you, right?” 

“Says who?” 

“Well, um.... Well no one,” Justin stuttered, struggling to remember why he was nervous in the first place. 

Since neither really wanted to come out to a group of middle-aged WASPs, Brian simply squeezed his hand rather than bestowing the calming kiss Justin was craving. “Exactly. We’re both here for each other. That’s the way it’ll always be.” 

Justin pouted dramatically as he pulled the key from the ignition. “How come you always get to be the eloquent one?” 

“I’m Irish. It’s in the genes,” Brian grinned, opening the jeep door so that he could climb out. “We’ve been telling stories since before you English even knew what one was.” 

Justin got out and activated the locks before shutting his door. “Fuck you. Besides, you might be able to speak good--” 

“Well.” 

“--whatever, but you will never be able to draw as well as I can,” Justin countered, waiting beside Rigby for Brian to cross over to where he stood. 

“The word ‘duh’ is coming to mind, Sunshine.” 

“Oh shut up.” 

~*~*~ 

The interior of the club looked surprisingly similar to a museum. The walls of the English manor lobby were lined with glass-filled display cases chronicling the Rochester’s history. Pictures and trophies, and little artifacts to make the members feel more important than they really were. Brian ignored the ego boosters and followed Justin over to the coat check. As he slipped out of his worn, second-hand leather jacket, Brian once again began to feel self conscious. Over the attendant’s shoulder he could see the mass of expensive winter coats and was reminded once again of the fact that he didn’t fit in. 

“That’s a killer jacket,” the coat check boy marveled as he accepted Brian’s coat. “Looks like something James Dean would wear.” 

The praise caught Brian off guard for a moment and he stared at the other teen in shock. 

“Don’t give him any ideas, Rick,” Justin teased as he handed over his own coat. “He’ll end up doing the rebel without a cause thing just on principle.” 

“You say that like it’s a bad thing,” Rick laughed as he turned around to hang up their coats. 

As they moved back across the lobby to parts unknown, instinct was screaming at Brian to take hold of Justin’s hand. He couldn’t, though, and that annoyed Brian. So to counter his urge, he stuck his hand deeps into the pockets of his pants. A slight smile played across his lips as he felt the movement of the bracelet against his wrist. Already the cowry shell bracelet felt like a second skin, something never to be removed unless it was to change it’s position. 

“Don’t look so tense. You’re not being led to the slaughterhouse,” Justin chided, bumping his shoulder against Brian’s upper arm as they walked. 

“Oh that’s reassuring,” Brian snorted, eyeing the cavernous walls of the corridor they were in. 

The further they walked down the hallway, the more noise Brian became aware of and the more tense he became. Brian tried his best to remain calm, but it was an impossibility. His nerves were on edge and it would take a lot to calm him down. 

Brian was stopped mid-step by Justin’s hands raising to cup his cheeks. Before Brian could react he was pulled down into a lingering kiss, Justin’s probing tongue seeking out his own. Though he knew the danger of what they were doing, Brian found himself clutching at the blonde’s hips, pulling him closer so that they were pressed together tightly as possible. 

“Feel better now?” Justin gasped against his cheek as he pulled away from the kiss. 

Brian chuckled quietly, nuzzling the side of his boyfriend’s face. “You’re gonna get us in a lot of trouble one day.” 

Justin simply grinned at him, his entire face lighting up. “It’ll be one hell of a ride, though.” 

~*~*~ 

After one more calming kiss, as much for his sake as Brian’s, Justin pulled away and moved towards the ballroom door. Behind it were the hordes of people celebrating Valentine’s Day. People like his parents who tended to judge people on appearance rather than their actual worth. 

“Well, here goes nothing,” Justin said, more to himself than to Brian, as he latched onto both doorknobs and turned, throwing the doors open. 

Many eyes turned in their direction as Brian and Justin entered the ballroom side by side. Justin had known when the clothes had been bought that the two of them would stand out in the gathered crowd. Their clothes were the exact antithesis of what everyone else was wearing. Instead of country club chic, the pair were outfitted like the models who filled the pages of GQ. 

~*~*~ 

Something was wrong. Something was very, very wrong. Every instinct in his body was telling him to get the hell out of there even as he was following Justin deeper into the ballroom. 

The lion’s den. 

Steeling himself, Brian walked with his head held high, not allowing anyone to intimidate him. He wasn’t going to allow any one of them to think that they were better than him. Brian knew that he wasn’t even a blip on their radar and one day they were all going to regret that they were all looking down their noses at him. 

“Sweetheart, you came,” Jennifer greeted as she swooped down on them, placing a kiss on Justin’s cheek. “Hello, Brian.” 

“Mrs. Taylor,” Brian said with a nod. “You look very nice tonight,” he complimented in reference to her floor length, sleeveless red dress. 

It took only seconds for a fake smile to be plastered on her face. “Why thank you, Brian. You and Justin certainly look....” 

“It’s retro, mom,” Justin informed her, grinning from ear to ear. “We went shopping at this really great retro shop and found this and a lot of other great things. Wait till you see it all.” 

“Don’t you think you should have worn your suit, honey?” Jennifer prodded, glancing between the two teens and smiling at whoever was behind them. “It would have been more appropriate for this party.” 

Justin rolled his eyes and crossed his arms over his chest. “I don’t see anything wrong with what we’re wearing. In fact, I happen to really like these clothes so, if you don’t mind, Brian and I are going to go get something to drink.” 

Brian smirked slightly in Jennifer’s direction as he followed Justin across the room. Her slack-jawed expression was already making the night worthwhile. It wasn’t necessarily that he didn’t like Jennifer Taylor, but he didn’t trust her. She was too well meaning and Brian didn’t trust that. Often it was the well meaning people that caused the most damage. 

“Remind me not to piss you off,” Brian grinned as he accepted the crystal goblet of punch from the blonde. “Feel better now that you’ve got that out of your system?” 

“How did you know I-- Lindsay, hey!” 

Brian spun around in time to see a blonde rush past him and embrace Justin. 

“I was wondering whether you would show or not,” the blonde gushed as she pressed a kiss to Justin’s cheek. “You know that I never have any fun at these things unless you’re here.” 

“Lindz, you’re smothering me,” Justin gasped, his eyes pleading with Brian for help. 

“Oh, sorry. I was just surprised to see you,” Lindsay apologized as she backed away from Justin and consequently into Brian, squishing his toe with the heel of her shoes. “Oh my god! I’m so sorry! I didn’t see you there... um....” 

“Brian Kinney,” he said as he stepped around Lindsay and went to stand beside Justin. 

“Ahhh, the soccer phenom,” Lindsay drawled, a smug smile appearing on her face. “Justin, why didn’t you tell me you were friends with the infamous soccer phenom?” 

Arching an eyebrow, Brian glanced over at Justin who seemed less than impressed by the girl’s appearance. “Maybe because I haven’t seen you since Christmas. Anyway, now you’ve met him so you know that I know him. Happy?” 

“Extremely,” she grinned, sidling up next to Brian and placing a delicate hand on his arm. “I’m Lindsay Peterson, by the way.” 

“Okay, Lindz, hands off,” Justin said as he extracted Lindsay’s hand from his arm. “I like Brian too much to let you sink your claws into him. Besides, he’s already spoken for.” 

Lindsay’s eyes got exceptionally wide, as did Brian’s who hadn’t thought Justin would say something so revealing while they were at the party. Not that he minded. Brian wasn’t big on hiding who he was, but Justin was from a completely different world than his. A world were pretenses were everything. 

“You mean that you and he are....” Lindsay gasped, bringing a hand up to her mouth. “Oh my god.” 

~*~*~ 

As he watched Lindsay’s retreating back, Justin couldn’t believe what he’d just done. The only part of it he regretted was the fact that was Lindsay he’d said it to. In no time at all she’d have it spread around the place. There was no stopping Lindsay Peterson. It was something Justin had learned a long time ago. It had needed to be done, though. Justin knew exactly how relentless Lindsay was, having been one of her attempted conquests at the Christmas party. However, Justin also knew just how devious Lindsay could be when scorned. When she didn’t get something she wanted-- Brian, in this case --she lashed out to make sure that no one else got what she wanted. 

“We’re in trouble, aren’t we?” Brian asked, placing a light hand on the small of Justin’s back. 

Justin glanced over his shoulder at his boyfriend, taking his bottom lip between his teeth. “That depends on your definition of trouble. If you mean everyone finding out about us, then yeah, we’re in trouble.” He then looked over at Lindsay who was making a beeline for the place group of adults that his parents were talking to and groaned. “Probably sooner rather than later.” 

“So what do you want to do about it?” 

At that exact moment, and old slow song drifted over the ballroom’s speakers. Justin knew the song well because it was one of his grandmother’s favourites. “Save the Last Dance For Me” by the Drifters. She would play it whenever he visited her and the two of them would dance around her living room to it. Or he’d sit on the couch and watch his grandparents dance to it together. 

“Wanna dance?” 

Brian arched an eyebrow, staring at Justin in confusion. “You wanna dance? You and mere? Here?” 

“They’re gonna find out anyway,” Justin shrugged. “At least this way we can do it on our own terms.” 

Brian was silent for a moment then, “I don’t know how to dance.” 

~*~*~ 

It was official. He was out of his mind. That was the only way to explain why he was placing his right hand on Justin’s shoulder, his left hand grasping Justin right one. 

“Okay, just follow my movements and don’t step on my feet,” Justin said as he straightened up, grinning up at Brian. He started to sway slightly before taking a full step to his left, Brian immediately following, glancing down to ensure that he didn’t step on the blonde’s foot. “Look up at me. You’ll be less likely to step on my feet that way.” 

“Dip me and we’re never sleeping together again,” Brian threatened as he allowed Justin to twirl them around the dance floor. 

“Oh come on,” Justin pouted. “I bet you’d dip really well.” 

Brian snorted and shook his head. “It’s not happening, Sunshine. Besides, I’m too tall. We’d fall down.” 

“Where’s your sense of adventure?” 

Glancing around him, at all the shocked and horrified faces, Brian laughed deep in his throat. “Oh, I think this is adventurous enough.” For a brief moment, Brian’s eyes locked onto Jennifer Taylor’s. “Definitely.” 

~*~*~ 

Feeling Brian tense up, Justin angled his head upwards so that his mouth was close to Brian’s ear. “So don’t forget who’s taking you home and in whose arms you’re gonna be,” Justin sang quietly, grinning when he heard Brian’s low chuckle. 

“You’re insane,” Brian murmured against his cheek. 

Justin simply shrugged. “Like you didn’t already know that.” 

“Never said that,” was Brian’s immediately response. “Just stating a fact.” 

Having heard the song many times, Justin knew that it was coming to an end. As long as the song was playing, they were untouchable as a mere result of shock. They were like the proverbial car accident in that no matter hard a person tried to look away from one, they simply couldn’t. 

“You ready to shock them enough to make an escape?” Justin asked, moving his face in front of Brian’s, holding his gaze. 

Brian frowned slightly. “Depends on what you’ve got planned.” 

Not giving Brian a chance to protest, Justin rose himself up as tall as possible so that he could catch the brunette’s lips in a passionate, open-mouthed kiss. Brian hesitated for only a moment before responding to the kiss, moving his hand from Justin’s shoulder to cup the back of his head. 

As the song faded to a close, the pair naturally separated, grinning broadly at each other. All at once, Justin remembered where they were and held tight to Brian’s hand as he continued to back away, moving towards the exit.


	10. Cohorts in Crime

“Did you see their faces?” Justin cackled as he and Brian raced down the steps of the club into the snowy night. “I think we just gave some of them heart attacks!” 

Sneaking up behind the blonde, Brian wound his arms around the smaller teen’s waist and spun him around so that they were face to face. “You’re completely insane, Sunshine! And a drama queen to boot! Do you realize what we just did?” 

Justin slipped his arms around Brian’s neck, his smile never wavering. “Oh come on, Bri, I’m sure you can figure it out. It’s not a secret.” 

Leaning forward, Brian rested his forehead against Justin’s, unable to keep a smile from his own lips. “I think you got it in your head to stage a ridiculously romantic and were just using this as an excuse.” 

“I was not,” Justin insisted, attempting to look offended and failing miserably. “Lindsay was going to tell my parents about us so I thought we’d do the deed ourselves.” 

“Is that so?” 

Justin nodded an affirmative. “It most certainly is, Mister Kinney. Now quit analyzing everything and kiss me.” 

“Whatever you say, Justin,” Brian grinned as he pressed a kiss to the tip of the blonde’s nose. 

At his indignant smirk, Brian tilted his head down further and covered Justin’s grinning lips with his own. Justin responded to the kiss immediately, his arms tightening their hold on Brian as their tongues simultaneously began to search out each other’s. Brian tightened his grip on Justin’s waist and lifted the artist completely off the ground as their kiss deepened still further. 

“God, I love you,” Brian moaned against Justin’s lips as he pulled back for some much needed air. “More than you’ll ever know.” 

Their foreheads together, Justin grinned broadly and kissed Brian quickly. “I think I have an idea ‘cause I love you just as much.” Justin then wiggled out of his hold and threaded his fingers through Brian’s. “The only problem is that we have to alter our plans now. Chances are my parents are going to be leaving soon so we can’t got back to my place to celebrate our first Valentine’s Day.” 

Brian pulled Justin close, winding his arm around the blonde’s shoulders. “Doesn’t matter. This night has already been one of the best of my life.” 

“Then let’s find a way to make it perfect,” Justin grinned, turning his body completely so that he was facing Brian. “This night is only gonna happen once so let’s make the most of it while we can.” 

“You make it sound like this is the last night we’re gonna have together,” Brian breathed out, lightly pushing Justin’s bangs away from his forehead. 

Justin shook his head immediately. “No way. We’re gonna have forever. That’s a promise.” 

“So when do we start this forever?” Brian questioned, highly amused by Justin’s antics. 

Stepping backwards, Justin slid his right hand along Brian’s arm, latching onto his hand at the very last moment. He then spun in a wide circle, pulling Brian along as well so that both of them nearly crashed into the parked cars. 

“Forever starts now,” Justin declared as he and Brian automatically moved back together, their bodies naturally taking on the formal dancing position as they waltzed across the parking lot. 

~*~*~ 

At the end of their fancy footwork, Justin twirled Brian away from him. Brian was laughing and spun without a care in the world, his movements slow as he tilted his head back and stared up at the sky. Justin was awed by the sight. It was very rarely that Brian was so carefree and considering what had happened on a few minutes before it was even more amazing. 

Justin was about to move between vehicles to the next row where he’d parked Rigby when he caught a movement out of the corner of his eye. Movement close to where Brian was stalled, his eyes still trained upwards. It took Justin a moment to realize what it was he was seeing, but when he did he felt his blood run cold. 

A tire iron. 

Not a disembodied, floating tire iron, but one that was being held by someone who was, at that very moment, stalking towards Brian from the row of cars opposite to where Justin stood. 

And even though he knew that he should scream. That he should do something-- anything --to get Brian’s attention, Justin found himself momentarily frozen as the shadow-encased form advanced on the vulnerable teen. 

Lowering his gaze from the sky, Brian turned towards Justin with one a rare, full-fledged smile on his face. 

Not knowing that less than five feet behind him, Chris Hobbs was slowly approaching with a tire iron clenched tightly in his hands. 

“B...bbr.... BRIAN!” Justin screamed, finally finding his voice. 

~*~*~ 

Hearing the panic in Justin’s voice, Brian immediately turned in his direction. It took only a second for his eyes to lock with the blonde’s and he reacted immediately to the intense fear he saw bright blue eyes. As he started to move towards Justin, he noticed a movement out of the corner of his eye. 

And dropped down to the ground just in time to miss the tire iron Chris Hobbs was swinging at his head. 

Reacting instantly, Brian then launched himself from a crouched position, tackling Chris around the waist and sending the other teen crashing to the pavement. 

“What the fuck is wrong with you?!” Brian roared as he pushed himself off the other teen. He noticed that Chris was reaching for the tire iron and kicked it away, watching it skid under a nearby car, out of the football player’s reach. 

“You’re a bunch of fucking faggots,” Chris growled, glaring up at Brian, doing nothing to dislodge the foot pressed against his chest. 

“Well these faggots just got the better of you,” Brian hissed, increasing the pressure on Chris’ back. “And get this through your thick skull, Hobbs, you try to hurt Justin and I’ll make your life hell. That’s a promise.” 

Keeping his gaze on Chris’ prone form, Brian slowly back away from the football player and made his way to where Justin stood. As soon as he was close enough, Justin wound his arms around Brian’s torso, holding onto him tightly. Brian returned the embrace, pressing a kiss to the top of Justin’s head while he continued to move them away from Hobbs who was pushing himself up off the ground. 

“I always keep my promises, Hobbs,” Brian ground out before turning towards the next row of cars where Justin had parked Rigby what seemed like a lifetime ago. 

In reality, they’d been at the country club for barely twenty minutes. 

And in those twenty minutes, Brian knew that his life had changed completely. 

~*~*~ 

No matter how hard he tried, Justin couldn’t stop shaking. All that his mind was able to focus on was the fact that Chris Hobbs had just tried to kill Brian. There was no other explanation because there was only one outcome of Brian receiving a tire iron to the head. So he held tight to Brian, reassuring himself that the other teen was still with him. That Chris hadn’t killed him. 

“Easy there, Sunshine, I do need to breathe,” Brian mumbled against the side of his head. 

Shaking his head, Justin held onto Brian even tighter. “I don’t think I can. I keep thinking that you’re going to disappear if I let go.” 

“I promise I won’t disappear,” Brian assured him, pressing a kiss against the top of his head. 

“But you can’t promise that,” Justin insisted, pulling away from Brian and sinking his fingers into his hair. “God.... This was the biggest mistake of my life. What on earth made me think that something big and dramatic like coming out in front of all those people was the right thing to do. I’m dead.... My parents are going to kill me. They are literally going to kill me. Oh shit! What if they tell your parents? What will--” 

In the middle of the sentence, Brian pulled him in for an intense kiss that silenced his protests immediately. Justin gripped onto Brian’s hips, holding him close, while Brian’s large hands cupped his cheeks. 

“You need to breathe, Sunshine,” Brian chided as he pulled away. He spoke gently, his thumbs lightly stroking Justin’s cheeks. “Now give me the keys. I think I should be doing the driving right now.” 

Easing his way still closer to Brian, needing the contact, Justin nodded his head against his boyfriend’s shoulder. “In my pocket. The right one.” 

~*~*~ 

As panicked as he felt himself, Brian knew that the parking lot of the Rochester was not the place for him to actually process the fact that Chris Hobbs had tried to bash his head in with a tire iron. He was consciously not thinking about it, instead just doing his best to get him and Justin as far away from Chris as soon as possible. 

“You still with me, Justin?” Brian asked, glancing to his right as he pulled out of the parking lot. 

What he saw worried him. Justin was leaning forward as far as he was able in the small compartment, his face buried in his hands as he shook. Knowing that he couldn’t stop yet, Brian made his way towards the Interstate and the relatively cheap motels there. Their original plan to go back to Justin’s was out and Brian would never let Justin anywhere near his house at night when Jack was at his worst. 

“Don’t worry, Just, everything’s gonna be fine,” Brian said, reaching a hand out to massage the back of the artist’s neck. “We’re both all right, we’re fine, and that’s the important thing. We’ll deal with the rest later.” 

“He tried to kill you, Bri,” Justin groaned, turning his head towards Brian and gazing up at him with tear-filled eyes. “He took... he took a tire iron and....” 

“But I’m fine,” Brian insisted as he began to rub circles along Justin’s back. “We’re both fine. Chris didn’t hurt us-- he can’t --because together we’re invincible. That’s what you’re always telling me.” 

“Well let’s just say I’ve had a wake up call.” 

~*~*~ 

The motel room was sparse. A bed, nightstand, dresser, small table and a chair. A TV and phone were the only accessories. But Justin didn’t care about any of that. The only thing that mattered to him was that he had Brian with him. 

“Feeling better?” Brian asked, stepping up behind Justin and winding his arms around the other teen’s waist. 

Justin nodded his head, sinking into Brian’s welcoming embrace. “I am now that I know you’re safe. I swear, Bri, if I’d known that something like that would happen, I never would have made you come with me. I just.... I wanted this night to be memorable.” 

“Trust me, Sunshine, I don’t think I’ll be forgetting tonight. Ever,” Brian snickered, momentarily tightening his hold on Justin before moving in front of him. “But the way I see it, the middle might have sucked, but the beginning and end of the night were irreplaceable.” 

“But tonight’s not over yet,” Justin reminded him as Brian lifted his arms to rest across his shoulders. “How do you know it’s gonna be so wonderful?” 

Brian’s response was a silent one. Nudging Justin’s head back slightly by nuzzling his nose against the smaller teen’s. As soon as he deemed Justin’s head to be in the proper position, he dipped his head down to cover Justin’s lips with his own. It was then that Justin realized just how shaken up Brian was by what Chris had done. He was clutching at Justin desperately and pouring himself into the kiss in such a way that Justin was convinced that Brian was trying to disappear within him. 

“I want you inside me,” Brian gasped against Justin’s cheek before turning in order to suck Justin’s lower lip into his own. 

Justin didn’t need to ask whether he was sure or not. At that moment he wanted nothing more than to lose himself within Brian. To assure himself that the body beneath him was real and breathing. 

~*~*~ 

By way of a series of movements he had been unable to track completely, Brian found himself lying on his side, Justin resting directly behind him so that they were pressed back to chest. Brian let out a full bodied shudder as he felt the tip of Justin’s cock butting against his hole and lifted leg so that he could more easily push through the tight ring of muscle. 

Neither one of them spoke, allowing their bodies to dictate the motions. 

To Brian, it was an almost out of body experience. The two of them were bathed in blue moonlight that leaked through the thin curtains the shielded them from the outside world and their movements were so slow and languid that it was as though they were in a world of their own. One where nothing could touch them. Where they would never be hurt. 

Brian’s mouth fell open, a silent gasp escaping his mouth, as the head of Justin’s cock moved against something sensitive deep within him. Turning his head so that he could see Justin’s face, Brian grinned up at his lover, sluggishly lifting his left hand and moving it around to cup the back of Justin’s head. Without exerting any outward force, Justin understood what he wanted and dipped his head down so that their lips touched. What they were doing could hardly be considered kissing, merely a simple joining of their lips as they breathed in the same air. 

As his free hand continued to clutch at the back of Justin’s head, his fingers lost in the silk strands of blonde hair, Justin’s hand made its way towards his dick. The nimble fingers traced a light path down his chest and stomach before flattening out just below his belly button, his palm rubbing over the smooth flesh and purposely avoiding Brian’s shaft. Brian’s desires were on the verge of becoming vocal when Justin ran a single fingertip up the underside of his cock. It traced a series of bizarre patterns along the turgid length before Justin’s fingers finally wrapped completely around his cock, pumping him in time with the own movements of his hips. 

Movements which steadily increased in speed as both of them neared orgasm. 

It was Brian who came first, his body jerking and thrashing within Justin’s arms. His climax brought on Justin who came with a muffled gasp, the sound lost in Brian’s mouth as Justin covered his mouth with his own. 

Not wanting to lose the feel of Justin buried deep within him, Brian held tight to Justin’s hips as he attempted to pull back. Getting the message, Justin shifted closer and wound his arms around Brian’s abdomen, holding him close as he buried his face into the crook of Brian’s neck. 

Brian felt himself relaxing completely, drifting off to sleep to the feel of Justin tracing idle patterns over his stomach. He wanted to stay awake, the make sure that the night lasted forever, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t keep his eyes open any longer. 

“I love you,” Justin murmured in his ear. 

“Love you too,” Brian mumbled on the verge of sleep. “So much.” 

~*~*~ 

Justin was rinsing out the washcloth he had used to clean himself and Brian up when he heard the crash. Dropping the washcloth into the sink, Justin bolted out of the minuscule bathroom and into the main area of their room. He began to panic when he couldn’t see Brian on the bed or anywhere else in the room for that matter. 

“Brian?” he called out in a loud whisper, scanning the room for any sign of his lover. “Bri, where are you?” 

The only response he received was a muffled sob coming from one of the dark corners of the room. Following the sound, Justin caught sight of a huddled form shivering in the corner. Moving slowly so as not to startle him, Justin made his way over to Brian, crouching down next to him and pulling the unresisting body into his arms. Brian clutched at him almost desperately, all but crawling into Justin’s lap. 

And even though Justin felt his gut clench at the sound of Brian’s broken sobs, he was glad that Brian was finally reacting to what had happened. Brian had been far too stoic since it had happened and Justin knew that he needed to react to the fact that Chris Hobbs had swung a tire iron at his head. 

“Everything’s fine, Bri,” Justin whispered in his ear. “You’re fine, I’m fine and after that display earlier I really don’t think that Chris will be bothering us anytime soon. Not now that he’s seen what you’re capable of. That you’re not some wimpy little fag. That you’re strong and brave and that you’d make a pretty descent defensive tackle.” 

In the midst of his tears, Justin distinctly heard a few quiet chuckles. “Since when do you know anything about football?” 

Justin pressed a kiss to Brian’s temple, resting his cheek against his boyfriend’s. “Since I realized that there are some amazing ass shots when they have huddles. Now how about we go back to bed. It’ll be more comfortable there. Okay?” 

Brian nodded his head, wiping at his eyes with the back of his hands. “Yeah. Sure. I, um... I don’t even know what I’m doing down here. How I even got down here.” 

“Don’t worry about it,” Justin assured him, massaging the tense muscles at the back of Brian’s neck. “It’s been a long night and I think we’re both still a little on edge.” 

Back in bed, Justin held Brian as close as possible, delighting in the feel of the warm skin pressed against his own. He felt completely relaxed in Brian’s arms and from the steady breaths blowing against his throat, he knew that Brian was as well. 

“I’m not going to let anyone hurt you, Brian. Not Chris, not your dad. No one.... That’s a promise,” Justin murmured in Brian’s ear, snuggling as close as possible to his lover while he waited for sleep to claim him as well.


	11. Cohorts in Crime

There was no way that he was ever leaving the motel room. As long as he and Brian stayed locked away in the small room they wouldn’t have to deal with the outside world that knew their secret. Rationally, Justin was fully aware that there were a lot of people that had known about his and Brian’s relationship, but before those people had never had the power to hurt them the way that his parents did.

Brian shifted in his sleep, his head sliding from Justin’s shoulder to rest on the center of his chest. It was a close contact that the artist found intoxicating, dipping his head down so that his nose was buried in the disorderly strands of chestnut hair.

Justin felt a sudden, all too real fear that his parents had called Brian’s the night before to tell them about what had happened at the country club. As his fear gripped him, Justin held Brian tighter, wanting to keep him safe as long as possible, but knew that he couldn’t. At some point they would have to leave the safety of the hotel room and face the real world again.

“I am fond of breathing, you know,” Brian mumbled against Justin’s chest. “A hobby you’re kinda hindering at the moment.”

“Sorry,” Justin apologized, immediately loosening his hold on Brian’s torso. “I got cold and wanted to borrow some of your body heat.”

Brian lifted his head so that his chest was resting on the blonde’s chest, his hazel eyes locked on Justin’s blue ones. “Everything’s going to be fine. Even if my parents know about us, I’ll find some way to deal with it. But for now we’ll just deal with your parents since they’re the ones that actually saw our little display.” 

“You don’t have to come with me, Bri,” Justin told him, sluggishly lifting his right hand off the bed to comb through his lover’s hair. “They’re my parents, I’ll deal with them.”

“We’ll deal with them.”

Justin tried to protest again, but Brian shook his head firmly, crawling up Justin’s body so that Brian was spread overtop of him, their foreheads touching.

“It’s just as much my fault as it is your fault this is happening,” Brian informed the smaller teen. “And since we both took equal part in last night’s festivities, we’re both gonna face the consequences. Now come on. Let’s go grab a shower then gets some breakfast. I’m starving.”

~*~*~

Once again it was Brian who was doing the driving as they headed back to suburban Pittsburgh. Justin was useless. He was a nervous wreck and since Brian wanted to get home in one piece, Brian had taken the keys from the nightstand as they’d left the hotel room.

“Do you think they’ll try to keep us apart?” Justin asked as the two passed the Rochester Country Club. “Send me off to military school or something?”

“They can try,” Brian said with an absent shrug.

Out of the corner of his eye, Brian could see Justin fidgeting in his seat, obviously not convinced by his assurances. Whether he wanted to admit to it or not, Brian knew that he was just as worried as Justin was. The only difference was that he was hiding it better. Years of practice had enabled him to do that with an ease that often frightened him simply because he was able to.

“You know I love you, right?” Justin said suddenly about ten minutes later.

Brian immediately turned towards Justin, his eyes locking with the blonde’s immediately. “Of course I know that. There’s nothing that could make me doubt that.”

Justin let out a shuddering breath and nodded his head. “I just.... I don’t know what’s going to happen and I don’t want you to think that anything... anything my dad or my mom says is true.... It couldn’t be. Because they don’t know us. They can’t. Not really.”

Pulling over to the side of the road and unfastened his seatbelt. Justin was immediately crawling across the seat and into his lap as he turned sideways in the seat. The two of them embraced silently, grounding themselves in preparation for what was to come.

“It doesn’t matter what they think,” Brian murmured against the side of Justin’s head, his face pressed into the soft blonde locks. “We know the truth and it will be the truth no matter what they think.”

Justin sat back, brushing his hand under his nose. “I wish I could be as confident as you.”

Brian smirked slightly, running his hands up and down Justin’s arms. “Well it’s pretty easy since it’s your parents we’re going to face and not mine. I’d be a nervous wreck if it was Jack and the Warden who knew about us. Hell, I’d be running in the other direction.”

Brian didn’t even want to think about what his parents would do if they found out about his non-breeder status. His home life was awful as it was without them knowing about Justin. The military school Justin was feeling would probably be a welcomed relief in comparison to what Jack would do to him.

At the same time, Brian wasn’t fool enough to believe for one moment that his parents would never find out that he was gay. At the same time, he wanted to tell them. Brian didn’t want to hide who he was from anyone, but he was smart enough to know that nothing good could come from his parents knowing about his sexual orientation.

Once he was sure that Justin had calmed down, Brian began the final leg of the journey back to Justin’s house. Brian could only hope that Justin’s home would continue to be his safe haven now that the Taylors knew the reason for his constant sleepovers.

“Justin!” Jennifer Taylor cried, bursting out of the front door, as Brian pulled Rigby into the drive. Craig stood in the doorway, glowering at the vehicle.

Justin seemed to hesitate, so Brian reached over and squeezed his hand, reminding the blonde that he would be there with him. With that the two of them exited the Jeep, meeting again at the front of the hood before continuing on the to porch where the two parents stood waiting.

~*~*~

As soon as they stepped away from the relative safety that Rigby provided, Justin grabbed hold of Brian’s hand, refusing to let go. Not out of fear, but rather to remind himself of just what was really important to him. No matter what his parents thought, or how they reacted, nothing would keep him away from Brian.

“I think it’s time you went home, Brian,” Jennifer spoke up when the two teens reached the porch. “Your parents must be worried sick about where you’ve been all night.”

“This is about Brian too so he should be here,” Justin insisted, staring at his mother defiantly. “Besides, if he goes, I’m going too.”

There was a silent stand-off between the two factions there on the Taylor’s front yard, neither one about to back down.

~*~*~

Brian stood immediately to Justin’s right in the middle of the Taylor living room. Jennifer and Craig had finally relented, allowing Brian to remain resent in order to ensure that Justin didn’t disappear once again. Whatever the reason was, there was no way that Brian would have left Justin’s side. Even if he was only a silent bystander, at least he could offer his boyfriend support with his presence.

“Do either of you have any idea of the implications of what you did last night?” Jennifer demanded in a calm, WASP-ish voice.

“I danced with m boyfriend,” Justin said with an absent shrug. “What’s the big deal?”

“Justin!” Craig barked, disgust evident in his voice.

Justin rolled his eyes in his father’s direction. “What do you want me to say? Deny the fact that I love Brian? That we’ve been in a relationship since last year? Or is it simply the fact that I’m gay?”

Jennifer Taylor looked quite startled by Justin’s rhetorical questions. From experience, though, and the wild look in Justin’s eyes, Brian knew that the blond was far from finished.

“I like dick. I wanna get fucked by dick. I wanna suck dick. I like sucking dick. And I’m good at sucking dick.... Brian’s dick in particular,” Justin finished with a wonderful smirk It took everything for Brian not to lean over and kiss those lips, but instead focus on Jennifer and Craig’s reactions.

The amusement faded completely when Craig lashed out, slapping Justin hard across the face.

Brian reacted immediately, placing himself in front of Justin and glaring at the older man. “You don’t do that again,” Brian growled, seeing red. “You want to hurt someone, hurt me. Not Justin. Doesn’t matter what happens to me because I can take whatever you think you can dish out and then some.”

What kept Brian from reacting physically was Justin’s arms around his waist.

“I’m fine, Bri,” Justin murmured against his shoulder. Then he took a step beside his lover, creating a united front, both hazel and blue eyes locked on Craig Taylor. “Hit me all you want, I’ll always be your queer son.”

~*~*~

After his father had slapped him, Justin knew that he had to get Brian out of there. His father had thrown salt onto wounds that he hadn’t even known existed. Wounds which were very raw and easy to aggravate.

“I’m gonna go get a change of clothes. Why don’t you go back out and get Rigby started,” Justin suggested, wanting Brian out of the house as soon as possible.

Brian turned to him, and Justin could immediately se the struggle taking place in his head. Eventually he lowered his head, nodding slightly. “All right. But you’ve got five minutes or else I’m taking of without you.”

“I’ll only need two,” Justin murmured, rising up to brush a kiss against the underside of Brian’s jaw before leading the other teen out of the living room.

“Justin--” Jennifer started as the pair moved past the two adults who had seemed kind of shell-shocked until that point.

Justin paused for a brief moment to gaze at his mother with indifference. “Don’t worry, I’m not running away or anything. I just can’t be here right now.”

“We’re not finished here,” Craig growled, reaching a hand out to latch onto Justin’s arm. When Justin tried to pull his arm free, Craig only tightened his grip to the point where Justin was sure that there would be a bruise on his upper arm. “You do not get to make a fucking spectacle of yourself then expect to just walk away.”

“Let him go,” Brian ground out, latching onto Craig’s wrist. “Let him go, now.”

“Craig!” Jennifer lamented, but did nothing to prevent what was happen right before her very eyes.

~*~*~

Craig was doing nothing to release Justin’s arm so Brian tightened his own grip on the older man’s wrist.

“I told you to let him go,” Brian repeated, his voice coming out a low hiss.

“If you know what’s good for you, Brian, you’ll leave now,” Craig told him. “This has nothing to do with you. It’s between me and my son.”

“Yeah, well you’re son just happens to be my boyfriend,” Brian reminded him, using his free hand to pry Craig’s fingers away from Justin’s arm.

Once Brian managed to free Justin’s arm from his father’s possessive grasp, he pulled the blonde behind him protectively. He was glaring at the man, angered that he would dare to hurt Justin. Brian’s own father was an abusive drunk, but Justin’s was supposed to be different. Everything that Brian knew of Justin’s relationship with his father was supposed to be the exact opposite of his with Jack.

“You may be his father, but that doesn’t give you the right to hurt him,” Brian informed the angry businessman. “Nothing would give you the right to do that.”

~*~*~

Knowing that hell was about to break loose at any moment, Justin all but dragged Brian from the living room He was fully aware of how close his father was to losing his temper and didn’t want Brian to bear the brunt of it. He wanted to protect Brian from that since he couldn’t protect him from Jack.

Craig allowed them to exit the room that time, still obviously a little startled by Brian’s steadfast defense. Jennifer did nothing but sink down onto the couch with a shocked gasp. Wanting to take advantage of the shock, Justin forewent the trip to his room for a change of clothes, opting instead to remain in what he was already wearing.

As he stormed out the front door, Justin felt a sense of relief wash through him. He and Brian had survived the encounter without any bloodshed. Still Brian felt a sense of guilt at the same time. All of it had happened because of him. He was the one who had started it all. The one who set the whole thing in motion. He was the one who--

“I almost got you killed,” Justin gasped out, pulling away from Brian and leaning over, suddenly nauseous. “I.... Why the fuck did I set up this whole thing? So what if Lindsay told my parents we were together? I could have just told them that she was upset cause we both turned her down or something like that. They would have believed it right away.... But no. I had to go and create a fucking spectacle that almost got you killed! Chris tried to bash your head in with a tire iron! There’s nothing else he could have been trying to do He didn’t just pick a fight-- he snack up behind you with--”

Brian’s lips came crashing down over his, cutting him off mid-sentence. Justin responded to the kiss immediately, winding his arms around Brian’s waist as the other teen reached up to cup his cheeks. He leaned against his lover, desperate to rid himself of the image that had suddenly filled his mind; Chris actually hitting Brian. He shuddered at the thought of it, knowing just how close it had come to being a reality. He had nearly lost Brian.

“Don’t think about it,” Brian murmured against his cheek as he moved to kiss Justin’s temple. “We’re both fine. That’s all that matters.”

“But I still almost got you killed,” Justin moaned, clutching tightly at Brian’s hips. “Chris did that because of my idiotic display at the club.”

“It wasn’t idiotic,” Brian insisted, dipping his head down in order to search out Justin’s eyes. “Not only wait it fucking brave, but you also succeeded in creating a ridiculously romantic moment that we’re never gonna be able to live down. You’re blowing this way out of proportion.”

Justin stared at Brian as though he were mad. “You do remember what happened last night? All the bad stuff?”

“I remember being in my bedroom and giving you this ring,” Brian said quietly, taking hold of Justin’s right hand and lifting it t his lips, brushing a kiss against his ring finger where metal and flesh met. “I remember you giving me this bracelet. I remember you and me dancing to a song that’s older than either one of us. I remember a kiss that was... that was so fucking intense. And I remember you and me in that tiny hotel room. On that bed. You inside of me. Making me feel more loved than I’ve ever felt. Closer than I’ve ever felt to anyone else in my life. That’s what I remember.”

~*~*~

Brian was convinced that he’d said something wrong when he saw the tears forming in Justin’s always emotional blue eyes. He started to pull away only to have Justin latch onto him, holding him in place. Brian stared down at Justin in confusion, wanting to say something, but he didn’t know what or how to make his voice work at that moment.

“How can you be so amazing?” Justin sighed, reaching up to smooth his fingers across Brian’s cheek.

“I learned from the master,” Brian returned, leaning forward so that his forehead rested against Justin’s. “Now how about we go to the diner and get something to eat. I even promise to be nice to Deb if she’s working today.”

“Wow, you really are in a good mood,” Justin teased, pulling away to grab hold of Brian’s hand and dragging him towards Rigby.

~*~*~

“Well, well, well, don’t you two look shnazy,” Deb boomed as he and Brian entered the diner. “You got some fancy benefit to get to?”

“Actually, this is the morning after,” Brian countered with his patented tongue in cheek smirk. “All the fireworks were last night.”

“Either way the two of you look good enough to fuck,” Deb complimented them, or at least Justin was sure that was what it was meant to be.

Brian was the first one to sit down in what was fast becoming their booth and immediately pulled Justin down to sit between his legs as he propped up against the wall, one foot on the seat, the other on the ground. Despite what Brian had said earlier, Justin knew that the brunette was perfectly capable of being romantic all on his own.

~*~*~

“Think we’ll get to eat any time soon?” Brian asked, glancing over the top of Justin’s head towards the kitchen. “It seems like we’ve been here forever.”

“It’s been fifteen minutes,” Justin laughed as he leaned back against his boyfriend’s chest. “I think your stomach can survive that long.”

“Twat,” Brian taunted affectionately. “I’m half tempted to volunteer to act as waiter or whatever’ll get us our food sooner.”

“What we need is a busboy,” Deb stated, startling Brian who’d been busy contemplating the curve of Justin’s throat. “Ours quit this morning.”

Justin perked up right away, practically bouncing up and down. “I’m looking for a job. My car fund is quickly dwindling.”

“Good, you start as soon as you’re finished eating,” Deb announced with a smile. A smile which was quickly accompanied by a pointing finger. “Now eat your lunch. You’re both too skinny, but you especially, Mister Attitude.”

“Yes, ma’am,” the two teens mumbled together.


	12. Cohorts in Crime

“Do you think they’d let Spike and Angel get in a relationship?”

Brian snorted and nearly ended up choking on his diet Coke. “What the fuck are you talking about?”

Justin turned his attention from the television in the tiny employee lounge at the back of the diner, shifting onto his back so that he could look up at Brian. “Spike and Angel. They’d look totally hot together.”

Handing his pop to Justin so that the blonde could put it on the table, Brian focused his attention on the blonde whose head was lying on his lap. “You do realize that they’re on different shows? And different networks for that matter.”

“Not for long,” Justin countered with a huge grin. “Next season, once Slutty’s over, Spike’s gonna move over to LA and drive Angel insane. I just think they should be fucking while they do it. I mean they’re both souled vamps and they’ve both got that whole brooding creature of the night thing going on. Plus Slutty tried to turn them both into simpering lapdogs and now that they’ve escaped they can celebrate by fucking their brains out.”

“Network TV, Sunshine. It’s not gonna happen,” Brian reminded him.

Justin sighed dramatically and wiggled back onto his side so that he was facing the TV once again. “Fine, go ahead and crush my dreams.”

“Don’t be a drama queen,” Brian chuckled, slipping a hand underneath the hem of Justin’s tee to stroke at the bare skin above his hip. “Besides, from the looks of things once they fix Cordy, they’re gonna--”

“Sunshine, get your bubble butt back out here!” Debbie shouted from the main area of the diner.

With a sigh, Justin rolled off the ratty old couch and to his feet. He then turned towards Brian, placing his hands down on the back of the couch on either side of his boyfriend’s shoulders and leaning over so that their faces were only inches apart. At Brian’s grin, Justin pressed his lips down over Brian’s. He moaned into Brian’s mouth when the other teen’s hands came up to cup his cheeks, pulling him still closer.

“Now, Sunshine!” Debbie called again. “There’s a full diner of people out here who need their tables bussed!”

Justin whispered as he pulled away from Brian, trailing his hands down Brian’s arms to grasp his hands as he backed away. “Finish watching the episode then come out and tell me what happens.”

Brian held onto Justin’s hand as long as possible, reluctantly allowing Justin’s fingers to slip through his when he could no longer hold on.

~*~*~

“You going to tell me why you have a shadow?” Debbie asked, nodding her head in the direction of the employee lounge.

“What are you talking about?” Justin laughed as he went behind to counter to grab his dish bin. “Everything that’s in the light has a shadow.”

Debbie waited until he was standing next to her, placing a hand on his arm. “I’m talking about a six foot tall one with brown hair and a smart attitude.”

“Brian’s my boyfriend, not my shadow,” Justin said casually as he moved towards the booth near the front.

“You’ve been working here for about a month now, Sunshine, and every time you have a shift, your shadow is here if he’s not working,” Debbie countered, following him to the front of the diner. “Is he hiding from something?”

In a way, Justin was relieved that Debbie wasn’t placing any sort of blame on Brian. One of the waiters, the week before, had asked him if Brian was overprotective and whether Justin needed any help getting out of the relationship. Justin had politely refused the offer, but inside he had been seriously upset that someone would think that Brian would hurt him in any way.

“Sunshine, I want to know what’s going on?” Debbie demanded when it became obvious that Justin wasn’t going to answer her. “I know that there’s something he’s hiding from and let me tell you, it won’t do him any good to keep it all inside.”

“Debbie--”

“Don’t you ‘Debbie’ me, kid,” she cut him off, cupping his chin so that she could turn his face towards her. “I know that you think you’re protecting him, maybe even helping him, but, Sunshine, trust me when I tell you that you’re in over your heads. You can keep Brian sane, but you can’t keep him safe.”

Justin wanted to tell her that she was wrong, that there was nothing wrong with Brian, but no matter how hard he tried the words just wouldn’t come.

“I know that you love him, Justin, and I can pretty much guarantee that he loves you just as much. Probably even more because, if my guess is right, you’re the only thing he’s got,” Debbie said with a soft smile. “But there are some things that two kids can’t fix all by themselves so if the two of you are ever in trouble, I want you to come to me.”

“Why do you care?” Justin asked somewhat suspiciously, his eyes automatically darting towards the door to the employee lounge.

Debbie reached out and patted his cheek. “Because I care about you two. Brian may be a little shit with an attitude that’s just begging for trouble, but he’s still a good kid. I just don’t want to see him get lost like so many others have.... Besides, with my own kid living in New York with his father, I need to have somewhere to focus my maternal instincts.”

Justin grinned slightly and leaned over to brush a kiss against Debbie’s cheek. “I don’t know how that’s possible considering you a moment to every queer and lesbian on Liberty.”

“You little shit,” Debbie murmured affectionately, cuffing him lightly upside the head as she turned to go take an order for the couple in the booth next to them.

~*~*~

As much as he was looking forward to the day, Brian had been dreading it just as much. He had been dealing with all the taunting and ridicule from the homophobic pricks in the locker room since he and Justin had accidentally outed themselves the previous fall, but it had always been easier to bear with Justin there to distract him. Since his boyfriend was an artist and not an athlete, now that the soccer season had started, Brian was on his own. Brian had promised Justin that he would behave himself and while he wanted to remain true to his word there was no telling what would happen. Especially not since Chris Hobbs had chosen this year to take an interest in soccer.

Going to his usual position in an area of lockers farther away from the main section, Brian began to change into a pair of shorts and the sleeveless, grass-stained white tee he normally practiced in. The cleats were new, having been provided by St. James, and Brian had spent the previous Saturday breaking them in.

_“You’re supposed to try and stop the ball,” Brian laughed as he watched the soccer ball whizz past Justin for about the twentieth time._

_Justin scowled at him momentarily before going to retrieve the ball from the back of the net. “Have you ever heard the phrase ‘I’m a lover and not a fighter’?”_

_“What does that have to do with playing soccer?” Brian smirked, jumping slightly to the right as Justin threw the ball so that he could use his knee to knock it to the ground._

_“That I’m supposed to be in the stands playing the role of the supportive boyfriend while you kick balls at other people’s heads,” Justin clarified._

_Brian stabbed his toe under the ball, kicking it up in front of him so that he could bounce the ball back and forth from one knee to the other. “I’ve been helping you learn your lines for the play. If I can cross roles so can you.”_

_“Oh please!” Justin snorted. “I’m putting my life in jeopardy by letting you kick things at me. You, on the other hand, have turned ‘A Midsummernight’s Dream’ into the Homoerotic Adventures of Oberon and Puck.”_

_Brian grinned devilishly before allowing the ball to drop back to the ground. It rested there for half a second before he kicked it into the top left corner of the net. “Your point being?”_

“Where’s your little shadow, faggot?” Chris sneered as Brian made his way to the main area of the locker room.

“He’s posting those naked pictures you sent him of yourself jacking off all over the web,” Brian answered casually, not even glancing in Chris’ direction as he spoke.

A mistake he discovered when he found himself shoved face-first into the lockers in front of him. Brian was able to throw his hands out in time to prevent his face from impacting with the already dented metal. He made a good show of turning around slowly, an angry glare hardening his features.

“Face it, Hobbs, Justin and I are never going to take you up on your offer for a threesome,” Brian drawled, sounding incredibly bored. “Live with it and move on.”

Before Chris could lunge at him, two other guys grabbed hold of his arms, holding him in place. Brian smirked in Chris’ direction before starting towards the exit once again.

“I’m gonna fucking kill you, Kinney!”

At the door, Brian turned around to face Chris a final time. “You couldn’t do it on Valentine’s Day. What makes you think the next time will be any different?” 

~*~*~

It wasn’t until Brian walked into the diner just after five that Justin finally began to relax. The entire afternoon he’d been envisioning that Brian would come back from the practice covered with bruises or some other non-soccer related injuries.

“I need food. Now,” Brian announced with a wide grin, immediately making his way over to the counter.

Walking up behind him, Justin wound an arm around Brian’s waist and pressed a kiss to the back of his throat. “And here I was expecting you to taste all nice and sweaty,” he murmured against Brian’s cheek.

The brunette snorted and reached a hand back to threat through Justin’s hair. “I do bathe, you know.”

“But you taste so good when you’re sweaty,” Justin protested with a grin. “Brian concentrated.”

“You’re suck a freak,” Brian laughed, turning his head so that he and Justin were face to face.

“I’m not a freak,” Justin insisted, kissing Brian’s lips.

There was a loud crash in front of them, causing Justin and Brian to jump apart. With a smile on her face, Debbie handed Justin his dish bin-- the source of the noise. “Back to work, Sunshine. Let the poor boy eat his dinner.”

“Don’t I have to place an order first?” Brian smirked, leaning forward with his elbows on the counter.

“Double cheeseburger, fries and a chocolate shake,” Brian answered immediately. 

Justin rolled his eyes at that; Brian always ordered the same thing. It was slightly annoying that Brian could pack away so much and not gain a pound. Not that Justin was one to talk because he could eat as much as Brian with no problems.

“I’ll be back later, babe,” Justin said, dropping a kiss against Brian’s cheek before heading back to work.

~*~*~

Brian knew that Justin was going insane not knowing what had happened that afternoon at his soccer practice. And Brian was enjoying keeping it from Justin. Deb seemed to be sensing his amusement and did her best to keep Justin as busy as possible for the next hour and a half while he finished his shift.

“Is everything okay, sweetheart?” Deb asked Brian, setting a lemon square down on his empty plate. “Nothing bad happened at your practice?”

Picking up the lemon square almost as soon as it was set down, Brian shook his head. “Everything’s good. Went better than I would have expected actually.” Brian had barely gotten the last word out before half the lemon square was in his mouth. “Except for Hobbs, everyone’s gotten used to the idea of me being queer and just don’t care anymore.”

Deb, however, didn’t seem quite so convinced. “Are you sure, hun? Just because something didn’t happen today....”

“Hobbs was the only one who gave me a hard time,” Brian interrupted her, holding the back of his hand to his mouth since there was still food in it. “Even the coach read him the riot act for slamming me up against the lockers. I’ve been out at school for about four and a half months. Everyone knows this and all the guys who have gym with me knows that nothing has happened before or after that. And since Chris is a shitty soccer player, I’m not going to have to worry about him.”

“Still, I don’t think you should let your guard down too soon, hun,” Deb warned him in all seriousness. “High school isn’t the best place to be out and proud the way that you and Justin are. Kids can be downright cruel when they put their minds to it. Especially teenage boys who have a problem admitting the truth about themselves.”

“I’ll be fine, Deb,” Brian insisted, his eyes never wavering from her worried look.

“I hope that you’re right, kiddo, ‘cause I’d hate to see anything happen to you because of some homophobic prick like Chris Hobbs,” Debbie told him, placing a hand on his arm.

“You’re worrying too much, Deb,” Brian said with a roll of his eyes. “I know how to look out for myself. I’ve been doing it my whole life.”

~*~*~

“All right, I want to know what happened this afternoon,” Justin demanded as he jogged to where Brian was standing near the entrance of the diner.

Brian held the door open for Justin, waiting for the blonde to exit before following after him. Justin kept his eyes on his boyfriend the whole time, not giving Brian the chance to avoid answering him yet again. He had waited long enough to find out how the soccer practice had gone.

“Hobbs was forbidden from going to any more soccer practices,” Brian said with a broad grin, stepping up behind Justin and winding his arms around the blonde’s waist. “He can’t even watch from the stands.”

“You’re shitting me!” Justin laughed, dropping his head back onto Brian’s shoulder so that he could see his face better. “I wish I coulda seen that. Shit! What did Hobbs do?”

“He swore for the umpteenth time that he was going to get me,” Brian snorted, releasing Justin’s waist so that he could stand beside him.

Justin instantly sobered at the memory of what Chris had tried to do to Brian a month and a half ago. He still sometimes would wake up in a cold sweat, reaching towards the empty side of the bed where Brian would normally sleep when he spent the night. Sleepovers which were fewer and farther between since his parents had found out about their relationship. The only time that Brian could spend the night anymore were on nights when Justin’s parents were going to be out late at a club function or on the few nights that Brian disappeared from his own house when his father showed up drunk late at night. No matter what time of night it was, Justin would much rather be woken from a sound sleep than to see a new bruise staining Brian’s skin.

~*~*~

“So what are the plans for tonight?” Brian asked as he threw his bag into the back of Rigby. “Go play pool at Woody’s? Dancing at Boi Toi?”

The devious smirk on Justin’s face instantly caught Brian’s attention. “I was actually thinking about going back to my place. My mom called while I was working. My Aunt Ruby got sick so she and my dad and Molly are going to be in Philadelphia until Sunday afternoon.”

“You’re shitting me,” Brian chuckled, a wide grin spreading across his face.

“I shit you not,” Justin grinned. “In fact, I was thinking that we could watch Velvet Goldmine again and make up our own version of what happens after they leave the orgy together.”

“You are one naughty little twink.”

~*~*~

A strangled gasp escaped Brian’s parted lips as Justin slipped slowly into his tight hole. Justin inched his way closer on his knees, running his hands along the inside of Brian’s thighs as he carefully pushed forward until his cock was fully encased inside his lover’s ass. Only then did he allow Brian to pull him down so that they were lying chest to chest, Justin bearing the bulk of his weight on his forearms which were pressed into the mattress on either side of Brian’s shoulders.

“Do you really have to go to work for midnight?” Justin groaned against Brian’s shoulder. “‘Cause I was kinda hoping to stay here all night.”

Brian laughed quietly, his warm breath blowing against Justin’s ear. “Sorry, but I’m scheduled for the midnight shift tonight.”

Justin wasn’t sure which one of them started moving first, but before long they were thrusting in an easy motion. As Brian planted his feet on the ground to give himself more leverage, Justin lifted himself up onto his hands and knees so that he could move more fluidly. He could feel the velvety tip of Brian’s dick rubbing against his stomach as they moved together in a teasing rhythm that would keep them on edge for quiet a while.

“Juss....” Brian moaned, arching against him. He sunk his head back onto the pillow, revealing the long expanse of his throat to Justin’s awaiting lips. Justin began to kiss and nibble along his boyfriend’s neck, grinning when he felt Brian’s fingers sink into his hair, holding him close.

While he was thoroughly distracted with Brian’s throat, the brunette took advantage of the situation and rolled them over so that he was kneeling above Justin’s reclined body. As Brian began to fuck himself on Justin’s cock, the artist ran his fingers up and down his powerful thighs, squeezing his hips, teasing his nipples and touching just above every bit of skin he could reach.

“BRIAN!” Justin shouted as the muscles in Brian’s ass began to clamp down on him.

His back arching once again, Brian thrust himself down hard several times in rapid succession before his body became completely still. Several jets of cum spurted from the tip of his dick, landing on Justin’s stomach and chest.

Glazed in moonlight, Brian looked like a marble statue brought to life.

The combination of the glorious sight and the clenching muscles fluttering around his penis sent Justin over the edge as well.

Brian fall forward and lay gasping against Justin’s chest. “I’m half... uh... half tempted to... call... in sick... so that I don’t... have to... move...... Ever.”

Panting as well, Justin sluggishly draped his arms around Brian’s heaving torso, holding him close.

~*~*~

“Do you need a ride in?” Justin asked as he pulled to a stop three blocks away from Brian’s house.

Brian shook his head, already reaching behind him for his backpack. “Nah. I’m gonna take Claire’s car.” When his fingers latched onto one of the straps, he pulled it into the front seat with him. “I’ll be home before she wakes up so it’s no big deal.”

“‘Kay,” Justin nodded, putting the jeep in park on the empty street. “You’ll call me when you wake up?”

“So we can continue where we left off,” Brian grinned, leaning in so that his face was barely more than a hairsbreadth from Justin’s. “Only next time I get to be Curt.”

Justin pretended to pout. “But it fits so well this way. You’re much more like Brian Slade than I am.”

“Says the guy who’s gonna be dressed up as a fair in about a month,” Brian teased, his lips moving against Justin’s.

“Just shut up and kiss me, Kinney,” Justin laughed, slipping a hand behind Brian’s head to urge his face still closer so that their lips were crushed together in a wonderfully intense kiss.

Brian lifted both of his hands to cup Justin’s cheeks and shifted as close as he could with his seatbelt still on.

“Love you,” Brian murmured against Justin’s lips as he sucked in lungfuls of air.

Justin kissed him again quickly, nodding his head. “Love you too.”

Reluctantly the teens separated and Justin put Rigby back into drive so that he could finally pull away from the stop sign.

~*~*~

As they crossed the intersection, neither one of them noticed the car that had been stopped on the left side of the street. Having run out of money, Jack Kinney had been forced to call it an early night. What he hadn’t expected was to see his Sonnyboy locking lips with the blonde kid he’d been hanging around with all year.

Jack waited until the jeep pulled away from his house before turning onto his street.

It was time to teach his Sonnyboy a lesson. No son of his would be a fucking fairy if he had anything to say about it. Which he did. More than his Sonnyboy knew.


	13. Cohorts in Crime

Justin.

He had to get to Justin.

Brian wasn’t too sure where he was going except that it was in the general direction of Justin’s house. If he could just get there everything....

The cry that he heard echoing in his ears sounded a lot like his own. He was lying on something hard, something that was most definitely not Justin’s bed. There were no comforting arms around him either.

“Jusss....” Brian whimpered into the cold sidewalk.

It took a few tries, his fingers scrabbling against the side of a building for leverage, Brian managed to eventually pull himself back to his feet. One arm wrapped around his middle, Brian kept his other hand on the wall at all times to help prevent falling again. Each time he fell it was getting harder and harder to get back up.

After a few steps it was his shoulder that was leaning against the brick wall as he moved, staggering down the street.

All of Brian’s attention had been focused on his feet, making sure that he didn’t trip over himself again. That was why he missed the door and went tumbling in sideways. He knocked into a few things on the way down and laid on the ground gasping for breath. Brian tried crawling forward, but only got a few feet before collapsing once again.

This time he didn’t move.

~*~*~

Justin laid in his bed feeling incredibly uneasy. He’d been having bad dreams all night, none of which he could remember. No matter how hard he wracked his brains, he was no closer to determining the cause of the bad dreams.

Turning to his left, Justin saw that it was just after eleven. Late enough for him to go to Brian’s before having to start his shift at one. He was really worried about Brian for reasons that he couldn’t explain and wouldn’t feel better until he knew that his boyfriend was all right.

Showering and dressing quickly, Justin was out of the house in less than half an hour, planning on getting something to eat when he got to the diner. He didn’t think that he’d be able to keep anything down at the moment anyway. He was too worried about Brian. There was something wrong and he desperately needed to know what it was.

Going as fast as he could without speeding, Justin made it to the Kinney household in about half the time it would normally take. As soon as he pulled up in front of the post-WW2 house, Justin felt a huge sense of dread wash over him. There was something very wrong, a sentiment that exploded to huge proportions when he caught sight of Brian’s Pink Floyd poster sticking out of the trashcan. Upon closer inspection, Justin also discovered other things he knew to be from Brian’s bedroom.

His life was in the trash.

Justin ended up pounding on the door for almost five minutes before a very frazzled Joanie Kinney answered it.

“He’s gone, Justin, so you might as well go also,” Joanie said automatically, her voice very detached.

“What do you mean ‘gone’?” Justin demanded, panicked that something had happened to Brian in the past twelve hours. “I just saw him a few hours ago and he was fine. He had to go to work or else he would have spent the weekend at my house to keep me company while my parents are out of town. So where is he?”

“On a plane to Georgia,” Jack said, appearing behind his wife suddenly.

“Georgia?” Justin spat out, his fear turning to confusion. “What is Brian doing in Georgia?”

Joanie looked over her shoulder at her husband for a moment before turning back to Justin. “He’s going to be living with my sister for the rest of the school year. Next year too. Brian’s been getting into too much trouble at your school and I asked my sister take him. He left this morning.”

“No,” Justin hissed with a shake of his head. “Brian would have told me if he was leaving town. He wouldn’t just disappear like that.”

“That’s because we didn’t tell Brian. Not until we took him to the airport this morning. It was just easier that way,” Joanie explained looking everywhere but at Justin. “Now, if you’ll excuse us, we have to finish packing up Brian’s things to ship to my sister.”

When she tried to shut the door, Justin shoved both of his hands against it. “Can I have the number where Brian will be? So that I can talk to him.”

“He doesn’t need any outside interferences. Goodbye, Justin,” Joanie said, closing the door more forcefully.

Justin stood on the porch for a minute, totally flabbergasted. Then he began to pound on the door, begging for them to tell him the number where Brian was. He knocked and pounded until he knuckles were raw and his tears threatened to overflow.

Finally, just as he was about to give up, the door opened again, a young woman with Brian’s eyes standing on the other side.

“So you’re the infamous Justin,” she smirked, arching an eyebrow. “Look, you might as well go. Brian’s gone and he won’t be coming back.”

“What about the number? Can you at least give that to me?” Justin pleaded, taking a half step towards her.

“His email hasn’t changed,” Claire told him, smiling sadly before she disappeared back into the house. “It was nice meeting you, Justin.”

~*~*~

The light burned into his vision. It made his head throb, the pain radiating through the rest of his body.

Moaning, Brian struggled to crawl away from the light. To where it was dark and where nothing would hurt anymore. He just wanted all the pain to go away.

He wanted Justin.

~*~*~

“Fucking Hobbs,” Justin growled as he drove towards the Liberty Diner.

There was no doubt in Justin’s mind that it was Brian’s constant feud with the football player that was responsible for him moving out of state. It was weird, though, because Brian had always said that his parents didn’t care what happened at school or anything else about his life. They hadn’t even wanted him to begin with.

Stopping at a red light, Justin threw his head back and screamed. He screamed until his throat was raw and the person in the car behind him began to honk loudly.

“You’re going to fucking pay for this, Hobbs,” Justin growled speeding forward with a squeal of tires. “From now on it’s me that’s going to be making your life hell.”

~*~*~

Brian wavered, his precarious balance in jeopardy. It had taken every fiber of energy that he’d had left to simply stand up. Every movement caused bursts of pain to travel through his body and even though he would much rather stay as still as possible, he knew that he had to get to Justin.

Justin would make everything all right.

He took a step and his knee immediately gave out under him and he went tumbling to the ground in a painful heap.

There was a crash and more pain as things began to fall down around him. Brian curled up, making himself as small as possible so that he wouldn’t be hit by as many things.

After that it just hurt too much to even attempt moving or doing anything whatsoever.

~*~*~

“You can’t lock yourself away just because Brian’s gone,” Debbie said to him as they walked side by side along Tremont. 

Without Brian around any longer there was no need for him to rush home that afternoon so he’d volunteered to walk Debbie home after her shift even though it mean waiting around another two hours after his had already ended.

“I can’t help it,” Justin shrugged, glancing through the windows of the buildings they were passing. “I know that everyone thinks that we’re too young to know what we feel, but I love him and now he’s just gone.... We didn’t even get a real goodbye. I just kissed him at the stop sign a block away like I normally do ‘cause of his parents.”

Debbie wrapped and arm around his narrow shoulders. “It doesn’t matter what type of goodbye the two of you had, Sunshine. Fact is that Brian loves you. Anyone with eyes can see it whenever you look at each other. And it’s not like this is forever. Wild horses couldn’t keep that boy away from you. Or you from him. Which reminds me, Sunshine, how come you haven’t called him at his aunt’s house yet? I’m sure he’s desperate to hear your voice.”

“I don’t know the number,” Justin sighed, looking everywhere but at Debbie. “His mom refuses to give it to me. She said I was an outside interference. I’m gonna try emailing him when I get home.”

“You are a lot of things, Sunshine, but you’re not an outside interference,” Debbie told him. “If anything you keep that boy grounded. I’ve seen a lot of boys like him in my time and Brian’s the only one who ever stood a chance of becoming something more. And it’s because of you. You showed up just at the right time in his life and kept him from hiding too much of himself behind a bunch of barriers.”

Justin managed a slight smile and leaned over to brush a kiss against her cheek. “You’re really great at this mom stuff. And even if Mikey doesn’t appreciate you, you still have me and Brian.... Well, just me now, but I know Brian appreciated the way you looked out for him even if he would never admit to it.”

In the blink of an eye, Justin found himself enveloped in a bone crushing hug courtesy of Debbie Novotny. It wasn’t the first time he’d been on the receiving end of one of her gale force hugs and he’d learned from experience that it was best not to breathe in during one because it gave his bones a bit of a cushion. Of course, there was no protecting himself from the requisite kiss on the cheek.

“Deb, I need to breathe,” Justin gasped out when he ran out of breath and was forced to inhale thus losing his cushion of safety.

Debbie released her cobra-like grip on his upper body only to cup his cheeks in her hands and plant a solid kiss right in the middle of the forehead. “If your parents ever get sick of you you’re more than welcome to come stay with me and Vic, sweetie.”

“I may just have to take you up on that when my dad decides that he can no longer stand my non-breeder status,” Justin said as casually as he could manage as he moved over to the vacant warehouse on the corner of Tremont. Using one of the dirtied windows as a mirror, he attempted to wipe away the bright red lipstick staining his forehead and cheek.

“You’re overreacting, Sunshine,” Debbie was quick to assure him. “Your father will love you regardless of whether you like cock or pussy. You love the same as anyone else.... It’s only the accessories that are different.”

As he was about to turn away from the window, Justin caught sight of a movement at the edge of a shadow. He peered intently in that direction, curious about what was there even though in his mind he was pretty sure it was a rat. Except that it was white.

And in the shape of a cowry shell bracelet.

“Brian,” Justin gasped, pressing his hand flat against the filthy window. “Brian!”

Bolting away from the window, Justin scanned the front of the building for an entrance. There was a heavy metal door about ten feet to his right, open slightly.

“Justin, what’s going on?” Debbie demanded, following after the blonde.

Justin shoved open the door and forced his way into the dilapidated building, shouting Brian’s name. It was obvious that the building hadn’t been used for a long time, it was practically falling apart. But he wasn’t wrong. He knew for a fact that he’d seen Brian through the window. It had only been his hand and forearm, but enough to identify his boyfriend.

To his ultimate relief he had seen the hand move which meant that Brian was at least still alive. Whatever else his physical condition might be.

~*~*~

Noise.

Loud noises. Crashing. Shouting.

Whimpering in fear, Brian attempted to move away. Out of sight.

And bit back a cry when he moved his upper body. He turned his face into the ground, screaming silently into the rubble.

More shouting. Muffled shouts that sounded almost familiar.

He tried to move some more to no avail. He hurt too much. Every part of him ached when he moved. He had to move, though. Had to hide.

“Bmmfphn!”

Hide!

“Bmmi!”

Find him. Hurt him. Kill him. Finish the job.

~*~*~

“Brian!” Justin sobbed as he caught sight of Brian lying half hidden by fallen roof beams which lay propped up against the wall. There were also boxes and crates, tarps and ruined pieces of furniture scattered throughout the large, open room.

And smears of blood in a few places.

“Bri!”

It created a physical pain inside him as he watched Brian’s feeble attempts to hide himself as Justin rushed as quickly as he could across the room. The whole time he was cursing himself for believing Joanie Kinney’s lies about Brian going to live with an aunt. While he’d been wallowing in self-pity, Brian had been....

~*~*~

Wanted his Sunshine. Sunshine would make everything all right. That’s where he’d been going... to his Sunshine. Except he hadn’t made it. He’d hurt too much. Brian didn’t even know where he was. Only that he wasn’t with his Sunshine.

And he probably wouldn’t see his Sunshine ever again.

“Jussss.....” he whimpered, drawing forth an image of the blonde in his mind.

~*~*~

“Brian!” Justin sobbed as he dropped down on the ground next to his boyfriend. He crouched over him, his fingers lightly brushing over Brian’s rumpled hair. “Oh god... Bri.... Brian....”

His sobs increased when Brian weakly tried to move away from him.

“Jesus, Mary and Joseph,” Debbie gasped behind him.

Continuously stroking Brian’s hair, Justin fumbled in the pocket of his jacket for his cell phone. He passed it to Debbie without looking, telling her to call an ambulance. After that, he tuned out everything but Brian. Justin leaned over Brian’s upper body, afraid to touch any more than his hair for fear of hurting him more than he already was.

“Please be okay,” Justin whimpered, his lips moving close to Brian’s ear. “Bri, please. I’m here now and everything’s gonna be okay. I won’t let anything else happen to you. Bri....”

Justin continued to murmur nonsensical assurances in his lover’s ear.

~*~*~

Lips were moving softly against his temple. So soft that he could barely even feel them. They were real, though. Just like the hand moving his hair. So carefully. So softly.

Like Justin.

“I love you.”

That voice, full of pain, was Justin’s. It was Justin’s voice. Justin’s hands. Justin’s lips.

“Juss....” Brian moaned, turning his head into Justin’s touch.

~*~*~

Justin sobbed in relief when he heard Brian’s voice. “I’m right here, Bri. Right here. I won’t leave you either. I promise.”

In the distance, Justin could hear sirens blaring, speeding towards the ramshackle old warehouse where Brian had been all day. Where Brian had been while he had been going on with his day.

“Everything will be all right,” Justin sniffled, daring to brush a light kiss against Brian’s temple.


	14. Cohorts in Crime

Even though Brian had been cleaned up, Justin still felt his stomach twist in knots when he saw the damage done to his boyfriend’s body. His reaction had nothing to do with vanity, but rather the amount of physical pain Brian had to have been in when he received the injuries and the endless hours that had followed. It made Justin feel sick to his stomach to know that he’d driven past that old warehouse on the corner of Tremont several times that day and hadn’t known that his lover was inside.

“I’m so fucking sorry, Bri,” Justin whispered as he lightly stroked the brunette’s jaw with the back of his index finger. “I should have known that something was up. Her story was just too convenient....”

As his voice trailed off, Justin could feel a few tears sliding down his cheeks in separate rivulets. He’d done his best to keep his emotions in check since he’d found Brian. It was his turn to be the strong one because what had happened would obviously leave Brian temporarily broken. And it would be temporary because Justin had no intentions of letting Brian’s parents win.

“I don’t see why in the hell you had to drag me down here. You could have taken care of this yourself.”

Justin’s entire body stiffened as the voice drifted down the corridor. He’d heard the voice only a few times before, but there was no mistaking it. Jumping out of his seat, Justin bolted out into the hallway, shutting the door tight behind him. There was no way he was letting either Jack or Joanie Kinney into Brian’s room. They’d hurt him enough already and Justin wasn’t going to let them near the other teen when he was so vulnerable.

“You might as well just go home because you’re not getting in here,” Justin growled out as the couple neared him.

“What the hell is all this?” Jack demanded, glowering in Justin’s direction. “What makes you think I’m going to listen to a spoiled little brat like you? Out of my way.”

Justin stood his ground, his eyes blazing as he glared up at the man who had caused Brian so much agony. “You’re not getting anywhere near Brian ever again. You’re the reason that he’s in there and there’s no fucking way I’m letting you hurt him anymore.”

“Young man, really,” Joanie chastised, her eyes darting around the corridor.

Of course, by that point, Justin was far beyond caring what anyone had to say. In his mind, the more attention he drew the better. If he was lucky, someone who could remedy Brian’s situation would happen by.

“Don’t you dare condescend me,” Justin hissed in her direction. “You told me that he had moved out of state to live with an aunt. Did you even have a fucking clue where Brian was? That he was lying half dead in some abandoned warehouse? You’re his mother. It’s your job to protect him, not feed him to the wolves. What you did is--”

“Sunshine!”

Justin was immediately thrown off by Debbie’s shout. She was marching towards him flanked by two men. One Justin recognized as Brian’s doctor, but he had no clue who the second man was. He had a very Commish appeal to him and Justin hoped that he was a police officer.

“Sunshine, this is Detective Horvath,” Debbie said, pointing to the Commish. “I ran into him down in the emergency room when I was calling Vic. He was quite interested in what I had to say about Brian and what happened.”

“This is a family matter,” Joanie protested, clutching her purse tight to her chest. “There’s no need to involve the police.”

“Actually, I’m going to have to disagree with that,” Dr. DeLange countered. “The injuries that Brian sustained are quite severe and, I’m sad to say, are not all new. I have seen more abuse cases than I’d care to remember and I’m absolutely certain that Brian has been abused for quite some time. Since childhood, I’d wager.”

“How dare you....” Jack Kinney puffed up indignantly, taking a step towards the young doctor.

Horvath stepped in front of Dr LeLange, holding a hand up to stall Jack’s approach. “I want you to calm down now, Mr. Kinney. I’ve had a look at your son’s charts and Mrs. Novotny told me what’s been going on today and I’d like you and your wife to come down to the station to answer a few questions.”

“The police station?” Joanie cried, scandalized. “Surely it’s not that serious.”

“Mrs. Kinney, you told Justin that Brian had moved out of state with an aunt knowing full well that it was not the case,” Horvath reminded her, crossing his arms over his chest. 

The detective glared at Brian’s father, daring him to contradict his words. A glare that Jack returned without the slightest bit of hesitation. It was Joanie who seemed nervous, twisting a faded handkerchief as she watched the proceedings silently.

“We will also need to take a blood sample from you, Mr. Kinney,” Dr. DeLange spoke up after consulting his charts. “When we were examining Brian we found evidence of semen--”

“I’m not a fucking fairy!” Jack shouted, interrupting the doctor.

“Could you... could you, um... take a sample of my blood?” Justin asked quietly, trying not to flinch as every eye turned in his direction.

“You and Brian have been intimate?” Dr. DeLange asked, not looking at Justin as he made a few notations on the chart.

Justin ducked his hand down, scrubbing his fingers through his hair, a slight smile playing on his lips. “We’re a pair of horny teenage guys who’ve been dating since November. We passed the intimacy stage a long time ago.”

“Fucking faggots,” Jack Kinney grumbled, glaring in Justin’s direction.

“Well at least I love him which is more than I can say for either of you,” Justin growled, glaring at both Jack and Joanie before turning his attention back to the doctor who was holding an odd looking needle in his hand. Justin kept his eyes on Brian’s parents as he allowed Dr. DeLange to remove some of his blood.

“Let’s hope that you’re right and Brian won’t have to deal with any further trauma,” the doctor said to Justin as he capped the syringe.

“Sunshine, why don’t you go back in and look after Brian,” Debbie spoke up, placing a comforting hand on his back. “He’s going to need you right now.”

As much as he wanted to stay and make sure that things turned out all right for Brian, Justin knew that Debbie was right. Brian had been through hell the past few days and there was no idea what frame of mind he would be in when he woke up. After giving Debbie a quick hug, Justin moved back towards the room and his unconscious boyfriend.

Justin was glad that Debbie had suggested he go back in to see Brian when she did because the instant that he set eyes on the brunette, he could see him beginning to stir. Quickly making his way over to the bed, Justin reached it so that he was able to be in Brian’s line of sight when the other teen cracked his eyes open.

“Hey, Bri,” Justin said quietly, reaching out to smooth Brian’s bangs away from his forehead. “Long time no see.”

~*~*~

He felt numb. Physically and emotionally he felt numb, like he wasn’t really there. The only problem was that he was all too coherent. Brian was aware of everything that was going on around him, but the thing that his mind focused on was that Justin was sitting less than two feet away from him.

When he should have been clear on the other side of town.

Justin should have been as far away from him as possible. It was safer for him to stay away. He wouldn’t be hurt if he stayed away.

So Brian pulled away. And it hurt worse than anything else because all that he wanted was to feel Justin’s arms around him. That was the one thing he had been searching for Friday after Jack had.... Brian had been desperate to make his way across the city so that he could feel Justin’s arms around him.

“How are you feeling?” Justin asked, gripping the side of the bed.

Squeezing his eyes shut tight, Brian turned his head away from Justin. He knew that if he looked at his lover, he wouldn’t be able to do what he needed to. “You sh... you should go, Su-- Justin. Go home.”

“No fucking way, Bri,” Justin hissed incredulously. “I’m not leaving you alone here. You’ve been alone long enough. I’m staying here.”

“But I’m not worth it,” Brian protested, his voice barely above a whisper. He tried to fight it, to keep his emotions in check, but Brian could feel a few tears leak past his closed lids and slide down his cheeks. “I’ve never been worth it.... I don’t... I don’t know what made me think otherwise.”

“Bri....” Justin moaned. “You know that I never say anything I don’t mean which means I’m telling the truth when I say I love you.”

Brian’s eyes shot open and he turned his head back towards Justin. “No. Don’t say that, Justin. It’s not... it’s not true. It can’t be. No one can love me. I’m nothing. My parents just fucking threw me away. If my parents don’t want me then who the fuck could possibly want me? So just get the fuck out and go back to your perfect life. Then one you had before I came and fucked it up.”

“You never fucked anything up,” Justin insisted, his bottom lip quivering. “You made things better, Brian. I like my life now. For the first time ever I’m happy. Because of you.”

“No,” Brian denied, shaking his head while visibly swallowing his sobs. “That’s not true, Just. Take it back. Please don’t say that.”

“Brian--”

“NO!” the soccer player gasped out, clutching at his side as a sudden pain burst there. “It’s not true. It can’t be.”

Justin leaned forward and tenderly cupped Brian’s cheeks in his hands. “Listen to me, Brian.... No, Bri, listen to me. Okay...? Please listen.”

Sniffling, Brian hesitantly nodded his head.

“I love you, Brian,” Justin stated emphatically, leaning forward so that his forehead rested again Brian’s. “I love you and I’ve always believed you when you say that you love me. You don’t lie, Bri, which means that you’ve always been telling the truth when you tell me that you love me.”

“But it doesn’t mean anything,” Brian mumbled, his teary hazel eyes looking everywhere but at Justin. As long as he didn’t look at Justin he could keep pretending that his lies were the truth.

“It means everything,” Justin insisted. “The ones that don’t matter are your parents. The only ones that matter are you and me. We can do anything we want because one day we’re gonna rule the world.”

Despite his best efforts to fight it, Brian could feel the corners of his lips, which had desperately been attempting to curl upwards, succeed in their venture and he grinned for a brief moment before he was able to neutralize his features.

It didn’t work, though, because by that time the numbness had faded completely and all that Brian wanted was to disappear into Justin’s arms so that he wouldn’t end up drowning.

Obviously encouraged, Justin continued to stroke Brian’s cheeks, hoping to coax the hazel eyes to meet his own. Still unable to meet his eyes, though, Brian instead lifted his right arm and tentatively draped it across the blonde’s shoulders, clutching at the back of his tee. Justin returned the embrace, crawling onto the bed when Brian carefully moved aside. 

“I love you, Brian,” Justin murmured in his ear. “Always will.”

Brian let out a series of quick, shuddering breaths before he gave into the sobs that had been building up since he had first awakened and his body begin to tremble all over. It caused sharps bolts of pain to radiate through his abdomen, but even if he had wanted to, Brian couldn’t stop crying. He clutched Justin tightly to him, uncaring of the pain that it caused throughout his body to do so. Brian needed to have Justin as close to him as possible. He needed to feel.... 

Something.

~*~*~

“In the town where I was born, lived a man who sailed the seas.... And he told us of his life, in the land of submarines,” Justin sang quietly, more than a little off key, in Brian’s ear as his tears began to lessen. “So we sailed up to the sun, till we found the sea of green.... And we lived beneath the waves, in our yellow submarine....”

Moving his head backwards along the pillow, Brian lifted his wet eyes to Justin’s. “What are you doing?”

Grinning broadly despite his own tears, Justin raised a hand to smooth through Brian’s rumpled hair. “I figured that would be pretty obvious. I’m singing you to sleep.”

“You’re singing Yellow Submarine,” Brian countered quietly, his voice not raising above a whisper. “Badly.”

“No one ever said I was a good singer,” Justin giggled, lifting his arm so that Brian could snuggle closer.

Brian simply rested against him, not moving and barely even seeming to be breathing at all. He knew that his boyfriend was hurting but, at the moment, Justin only cared that Brian was still with him. A part of Justin almost wished that Brian was in Georgia. At least if he was there he would have been safe. Wouldn’t have spent the day in unspeakable amounts of pain a building that was on the verge of collapse.

“You’re never going back to that house, Bri. I won’t let them anywhere near you ever again,” Justin murmured in his ear which caused Brian to lift his head from his chest to look at him. Justin lifted his free hand up to cup Brian’s uninjured cheek, his thumb lightly running along the underside of his bottom lip. “I mean it. I’m not going to let anything else happen to you. They’ve hurt you enough. I’m sure I could my parents into letting you stay with us. I don’t know how, but--”

“There’s no need to worry about that, Sunshine. It’s already taken care of.”

Both Brian and Justin both jumped slightly at the sound of Debbie’s voice. When he felt Brian begin to shake, Justin met his frightened gaze and gently guided Brian’s face towards his to brush a kiss first against his forehead then just below the bandages that covered Brian’s cracked cheekbone before covering Brian’s lips with his own.

“It’s okay, Bri. It’s just Deb,” Justin murmured against Brian’s lips, tenderly running his hands over Brian’s battered body.

~*~*~

Brian focused on the feel of Justin’s hands as he willed himself to calm down. There was something wrapped tightly around his chest which would pull tight if he sucked in too much air. Brian sucked his lips in as he forced himself not to take in a deep breath and relaxed against Justin’s side.

“Sorry, hun. I didn’t mean to scare you,” Deb apologized as she moved towards the bed.

Slowly letting his lips back out, Brian nodded his head slightly in Deb’s direction as he relaxed in Justin’s arms. “S’okay.”

Deb smiled slightly as she reached out to lightly pat his hand. “Now I know that you’re worn out, kiddo, but I thought I should let you know that I’ve had a talk with the police and social services and they think that it’s best if you come stay with me for the time being. I’ve got the extra room since Mikey’s still living in New York and I’d feel better if I knew that you had a safe place to stay.”

Moaning slightly, Brian squeezed his eyes shut tight. It was all too much. He was always an ass to Deb, but she was helping him. She was going to let him stay with her. He would be able to go to sleep without having to worry about what would happen to him while he slept. He wouldn’t have to watch his every move or hide in his room. He wouldn’t--

“You just get some rest now, kiddo,” Deb said as she stroked his bangs away from his face. “One of the detectives is gonna go with me back to your parents’ house so that we can pack up your things and bring them to your new home. Everything will be waiting for you when you’re released tomorrow.”

Brian’s eyes fluttered open and he gave Deb a teary smile, snuggling still closer to Justin. “Thank you.”

“Think nothing of it,” the waitress smiled. She patted Justin’s cheek then turned and headed towards the door. As Deb reached behind her to close the door after her, she smiled at the pair on the bed. “I’ll see the two of you in the morning.”

~*~*~

“Bye, Debbie,” Justin called after her, his voice very quiet. 

Justin knew that Brian was on the verge of exhaustion and wanted his lover to get as much rest as possible. He just wanted Brian to be well again. For his badly bruised ribs to heal, his broken arm and fractured cheekbone to mend and for all the other minor cuts and bruises to fade. More than anything, Justin wanted for Brian to be able to heal emotionally. To erase all of the damage his parents’ indifference and cruelty had created. 

Living with Debbie, Brian would finally be given the much needed chance to rest. He would no longer have to be on guard all the time.

Of course, they weren’t at Debbie’s yet so Justin shouldn’t have been surprised when someone else entered the room only moments after Debbie left. When he saw the slight smile on Dr. DeLange’s, Justin felt a huge sense of relief flood through him. If the doctor was smiling it meant that there was nothing else wrong with Brian.

Feeling Brian tense against him, Justin turned his head and brushed a kiss against his forehead. “It’s all right, Bri. That’s just Dr. DeLange. Your doctor.”

“Hello, Brian. How are you feeling?” the doctor questioned as he made his way over to the bed. “Are you in any serious pain?”

~*~*~

Sniffling slightly, Brian shook his head. “Not too bad, no. I just.... I’m just really tired.”

The doctor nodded his head. “To be expected. If the pain starts to get too bad, I want you to press the call button and a nurse will come to help you out.” As he spoke, Dr. DeLange picked up a small remote and held it up for the two of them to see. “Now your only serious injuries are a moderate concussion, 3 ribs with some serious bruising, a break in your left radius and a fracture to your right cheekbone. We discovered traces of semen around your rectum, but so far the tests indicate that semen belongs to Justin....”

Brian knew that he should have been paying attention to what the doctor was telling him. He couldn’t, though. He was just so tired and wanted nothing more than to allow himself to finally find the peace he had been searching for since the previous night.

Justin’s arms were around him and Brian knew that he was finally safe.

It was finally over.


	15. Cohorts in Crime

Even as they were walking up the path towards the front porch, Brian couldn’t believe that it was really happening. That he was going to be living somewhere safe. He was still having a hard time wrapping his mind around the fact that Deb had been the one to suggest him living with her. That was what Detective Horvath had said when they’d met that morning in the hospital. Even before Jack and Joanie had been arrested, Deb had been campaigning for Brian to go stay with her.

Still slightly woozy from the concussion, Brian’s steps wavered momentarily. It didn’t even cross his mind that he would fall down because Justin had an arm around him, offering comfort and support with the same embrace. Brian didn’t know how he’d managed to luck out and have someone like Justin love him. The entire time that he’d been in the hospital, Justin hadn’t left his side once. Not even when Brian had been trying to send him away. Brian didn’t even want to think about what he would have done if Justin had listened to him. Brian didn’t like having to depend on people, but he knew that he wouldn’t be able to make it through the next little while without Justin there.

“Well, kiddo, here we are!” Deb cried as she threw open the front door to the modest home she shared with her brother. “Your new home!”

Brian couldn’t help but smile at Deb’s exuberance as he followed her into the house, reaching back to grab onto Justin’s hand as they were forced to separate in order to walk through the door. He felt himself relax immediately as Justin laced their fingers together, squeezing his hand in the process.

“Vic, get out here! I brought the boys home!” Deb called, motioning for the two teens to move further into the house so that she could close the front door.

The first sight that he had of Vic Grassi threw Brian off slightly. Given Deb’s boisterous personality he hadn’t expected the subdued man that entered from the kitchen. He was dressed simply in a pair of jeans and a t-shirt that was at least two sizes too big, a pair of slippers completing the ensemble.

“So this is the dynamic duo my baby sister’s been talking about all these months,” Vic grinned as he moved towards the foyer to greet them. “It’s nice to finally meet you.”

“Well I’m Justin and this is Brian,” Justin said, reaching a hand out to shake Vic’s. “I technically won’t be living here, but I will be here a lot.”

“I wouldn’t expect any less, Sunshine,” Deb laughed, reaching over to ruffle Justin’s hair. “So how about we head into the kitchen....”

Brian didn’t hear the rest of the sentence because his attention was focused entirely on the newspaper that was sitting harmlessly on the table next to him.

LOCAL COUPLE ARRESTED FOR SEVERE BEATING OF TEENAGE SON

Under the title were pictures of Jack and Joanie that looked a lot like mug shots. There was also another picture of a run-down building, one that Brian could only assume was the one he’d spent the previous day in.

With a trembling hand, Brian reached out and fingered the newspaper. Brian only became aware of the fact that he was shaking all over until he felt Justin’s hands come up to cup his cheeks, standing in front of him and holding his gaze.

“It’s okay, Bri. You’re safe now,” Justin murmured, leaning up so that their foreheads were pressed together.

Brian wound his left hand around Justin’s waist, pulling him close. One of Justin’s hands lightly dropped down onto his shoulders and to Brian it felt as though he had a protective shield wrapped around him.

“You’re safe, Brian,” Justin repeated, using his other hand to tilt Brian’s head down to brush a kiss against his forehead. “I won’t let them hurt you.”

~*~*~

The eclectic nature of Deb’s house immediately called out to his artistic nature. He could not wait for the chance to explore the house at length, but at the moment he had more important things to worry about.

Following after Deb, he guided Brian up the stairs and into the small bathroom. A few times during their short trip up the stairs he would pause long enough to brush a kiss against Brian forehead or run a hand over his cheek. Anything to help calm the trembling of the taller boy’s body.

“I’m just gonna go help Vic make us all some lunch,” Deb said from the doorway as Justin eased Brian down onto the close lid of the toilet seat. “You get him cleaned up and do what you can to calm him down.”

Justin waited until the door was closed before sitting down on the edge of tub directly in front of Brian. He reached out and lightly began to stroke his boyfriend’s cheek, waiting for the other teen to meet his eyes.

“I was thinking we could have a bubble bath,” Justin suggested when Brian’s eyes flickered up to his. “A nice soak will be good for sore muscles. It will also be very relaxing.”

Brian drew his upper lip down between his teeth, nodding his head slightly.

Justin leaned forward and pressed a light kiss to the bridge of his nose before standing up. As he started to pull away Brian’s left hand came up to grip his hip, preventing Justin from moving away. He slowly pulled Justin forward, resting his forehead against the blonde’s stomach.

“I don’t know what I’d do if you weren’t here right now,” Brian mumbled into his tee.

“You’d be doing the same thing you’d been doing your entire life before you met me,” Justin told him, snaking his fingers into Brian’s hair and moving his thumbs in slow circles over Brian’s scalp. “But now you don’t have to do that. We’re in this together from now on. No matter what. Same as we always have been.”

~*~*~

Brian winced slightly as he raised his arms over his head so that Justin could help him out of his t-shirt. He immediately brought his hands down to wrap around his waist, hoping that the pressure would help to ease the pain. Justin placed his hands over Brian’s, allowing the soccer player to lean into him while he composed himself. His jeans and sneakers came off easier with Justin’s help because it put no strain whatsoever on his bruised ribs which was a good thing because Justin had already taken the brace off of them.

The water must have reached an acceptable level by that point because Justin turned off the faucets and stepped into the bubbly water. He bounced around from foot to foot for a moment then reached a hand out towards Brian.

It took a little bit of maneuvering and a couple chilled shudders from Justin, but the two were soon relaxing in the water which was just a touch on the too hot side. Brian leaned back against Justin’s chest, making sure to keep his left arm propped up on the edge of the tub so that the cast wouldn’t get wet.

~*~*~

Since most of the damage had been done to Brian’s upper body, Justin made sure to keep his touches light and gentle. Cupping his hands, Justin poured the water over Brian’s upper body then smoothed it down, his hands moving in feather light touching over Brian’s chest and stomach.

As Brian began to relax against him even further, Justin leaned his head down and began to brush kisses against Brian’s shoulder and the side of his throat. “I was talking to Deb while you were still sleeping this morning and she said that we could paint your new room whatever colour we wanted,” Justin murmured, his cheek resting against the side of his head. “I haven’t seen the room itself yet, but I was thinking a maroon or a dark, dark blue like on your Pink Floyd poster. We could maybe make it the focal point. Get matching sheets and make your bedroom this really great place.”

Brian turned towards Justin, his forehead coming into contact with the blonde’s lips. “Isn’t that a little much?”

“Not in the least,” Justin argued, smoothing his hand over Brian’s stomach. “I plan on doing this as part of your birthday present.”

“You watch too much Trading Spaces,” Brian grinned against Justin’s throat. “You better not turn my room into anything too frightening.”

“Nothing frightening, I promise,” Justin assured him, carefully helping Brian to sit upright so that he could move out from behind him. “Just gonna move in front of you so that I can wash your hair.”

~*~*~

Once he had the showerhead detached from its holder and warm water spurting out of it, Justin sat back down in the still deliciously warm water and scooted forward so that his legs were resting on either side of Brian’s hips. About two feet of space separated them and Justin had Brian tilt his head back so that he could direct the spray of water over his head, dousing the dark locks.

“That one’s mine,” Brian said, almost in awe as he pointed towards a bottle of Pert Plus that sat on a small ledge near Justin’s head along with two other types of shampoo.

Justin wasn’t surprised. Deb had told him that she and Detective Horvath had gotten everything they could find that belonged to Brian. A lot of the less obvious things, like the shampoo, had already been packed when they’d arrived by Brian’s sister Claire who had also retrieved the garbage bags full of things belonging to her younger brother from the trash. The poster, which hadn’t been crumpled, but not permanently damaged, had also been salvaged from there. Brian didn’t know anything about it and Justin’s wasn’t planning on telling him... at least not yet. He knew at some point he’d have to explain the wrinkles in the poster, but Justin wanted to put that off until Brian was more able to deal with it.

Pouring some of the shampoo into his palm, Justin placed the bottle back on the shelf then rubbed his hands together before he began working the green goo into Brian’s hair. He got a good lather going as he massaged Brian’s scalp, delighting at the contented moans that seeped from Brian’s lips. 

Brian’s right hand appeared on his hip, urging him forward, and when he was close enough, Brian dropped his forehead against Justin’s. “Thank you for putting up with everything that’s been going on all weekend.... Shit. I can’t believe that it’s only Sunday. Everything was still normal on Friday.”

“Tilt your head back,” Justin instructed, reaching behind him for the showerhead which he’d stuck between Brian’s leg and the side of the tub. “Everything is normal now. Better than normal because you’re safe now. And ‘cause tonight we’re going to have that sleep over we were planning for yesterday.”

“You sure Deb’ll let you spend the night?” Brian grinned, lifting his head just enough so that Justin could see his arching eyebrow.

“Deb loves me. She’ll let me sleep over,” Justin said confidently, tipping Brian’s head back so that he could continue rinsing his hair out. “Close your eyes.”

~*~*~

Brian stared at his reflection in the mirror while Justin got dressed. Much of the right side of his face was a large, purple bruise which spread from the bandage plastered to his cheekbone. He also had a split lip and more scratches than he could count, probably a result of him sliding down the stairs face-first. Brian poked his tongue out to trace the tender slice through his lip and lifted his right hand to lightly poke at the bandage.

“I look like shit,” Brian mumbled, dropped his hand down run along the brace wrapped around his torso. He didn’t think he needed it, but his doctor had wanted to be cautious considering the rest of his injuries.

“You look like Batman,” Justin countered, appearing behind him. He wound his arms carefully around Brian’s waist and dropped his chin onto his shoulder. “After a final battle with Two Face which landed the bad guy at Arkam for good. So now Batman gets to take it easy now and spend some time with his Robin.”

Brian met Justin’s gaze in the mirror, a slight smile quirking his lips. “That analogy’s a little off. Batman’s older than Robin and, in case you’ve forgotten, you’re older than me.”

“By about three months,” Justin laughed, a wide smile lighting his features. “Okay, so if you don’t want to be Batman, who do you want to be?”

Brian turned in Justin’s arms, leaning against the counter. “How about we just stick with being Brian and Justin. It’s worked well for us so far.”

“It’s worked very well,” Justin agreed, tilting his head up to brush a kiss against Brian’s chin. “Best in the world.”

~*~*~

As much as he hated leaving Brian, Justin knew that it was unavoidable. His Jeep was still parked in the alley near the diner and he had to pick up a change of clothes from home. The doctor had told Brian that he needed to at least take Monday off and Justin had every intention of taking that day off with him.

“Justin Matthew Taylor, where on earth have you been?” Jennifer demanded as soon as Justin stepped through the front door. “Do you have any idea how worried your father and I have been? You didn’t answer the phone all weekend and the neighbours said that they hadn’t seen you since yesterday afternoon.”

“I can’t talk now, mom,” Justin said as he attempted to move past her to the stairs. “I have to get back.”

“Get back where? Where have you been, Justin?” Jennifer demanded, blocking Justin’s path and crossing her arms over her chest.

“I’d like to know the answer to that myself,” Craig added, appearing from the kitchen.

Pursing his lips, Justin scrubbed his fingers through his hair, attempting to figure out a way to tell his parents about what had happened that weekend. His eyes happened across the Sunday paper, still rolled up and sitting on the table in the hallway. 

Justin went over and snatched the paper off the table, handing it to his mother. “If you want to know where I was, read the article on the front page.”

The two adults were momentarily caught off guard and Justin used the opportunity to hurry up the stairs to his bedroom. He fished an old backpack out from under his bed and tossed it on top of the mattress while he got a change of clothes and some other things he would need the next day including some movies for him and Brian to watch the next day. Justin also packed his sketchbook and his box of charcoals. Even since comparing Brian to Batman, he’d had the urge to sketch his boyfriend as the Caped Crusader.

Justin was still zipping up his bag as he thumped down the stairs and avoiding looking at his parents who were both standing in the foyer waiting for him.

“Are you going to give me a hard time or are you going to let me go?” Justin asked as he came to a stop on the bottom step.

“How is Brian?” Jennifer whispered, clutching at the paper compulsively.

Slipping his backpack on, Justin glanced down at the floor. “He’s not in the hospital anymore, but it’s still too soon to tell. It’s not every day that your dad tries to kill you just because you’re queer.”

“Justin....” Craig began, not able to meet his son’s eyes. 

“Don’t worry, dad, my name isn’t anywhere in the article. No one will know that it’s your queer son who’s the supportive boyfriend,” Justin ground out, smirking in his father’s direction. He then looked over at Jennifer, his features softening. “Can you call me in sick tomorrow? Brian’s not allowed to go to school tomorrow and I’m going to stay with him.”

“Where is Brian staying?” Jennifer asked, her hands still worrying the rolled up newspaper. “Surely they’re not going to send him back home.”

Justin shook his head, fidgeting with the straps of his backpack. “He’s going to be living with one of the waitresses from the diner where I work. She’s our surrogate mom when we’re on Liberty so he’s in good hands. Now I’ve really gotta go. Brian’s probably woken up by now and I promised him McDonalds.”

As Justin moved to go past her towards the door, Jennifer reached out and touched his arm. “Sweetie, I’m really proud of you. Tell Brian that we hope he’s feeling better and that there’s a box of a Bagel Bites in the freezer waiting for him provided you don’t eat it first.”

“Thanks, mom,” Justin whispered, smiling slightly. This time she didn’t try to stop him as he left the house. “I’ll see you later.”

~*~*~

Brian woke with a gasp, his body trembling as a result of a dream that he couldn’t remember. It was probably a good thing, but it didn’t stop the lingering fear that he could feel coursing through him.

“You okay?” Justin mumbled against the back of his throat.

Relaxing against Justin’s chest, Brian reached down, lacing his fingers through the blonde’s which were resting against his stomach. “Been better. Sorry to wake you.”

Justin kissed his neck again, this time closer to his hairline. “No worries. You wanna talk about it?”

“Nothing to talk about,” Brian sighed, squeezing his eyes shut and willing away the remaining tremors. “I can’t... I don’t remember what it was about.”

“You know I’ll be here to talk if you need to,” Justin whispered, giving Brian a quick squeeze and kissing him again, on his shoulder.

Nodding his head, Brian relaxed even further into Justin’s arms.


	16. Cohorts in Crime

It was impossible for Justin not to be aware of the stares that followed him and Brian through the halls at school. Even though neither of them had been there the day before, Justin was pretty sure that it hadn’t taken long for word to get around that it was Brian whose name was being strategically avoiding in the front page articles in both the Sunday and Monday morning papers. Monday’s had been more about gay teens than Brian’s situation in particular, but it had said that there would be an arraignment for Jack and Joanie Kinney on Monday afternoon.

So it was no surprise to Justin that Brian’s family drama had once again made the front page on Tuesday morning. He and Brian had overslept that morning and so neither of them had had the chance to read the article before rushing out the front door at Debbie’s, but by then it had apparently been deemed all right for Brian’s identity to be released because there was a picture of him. In it, Brian was covered in sweat and mud, giving a victory cheer as he held a huge trophy over his head after his soccer team had won the regional championship. Justin was glad that they’d chosen that picture and not some stuffy class photo because the former made Brian look like a real person and not some faceless statistic.

“How long is your practice going to run?” Justin asked as he and Brian loitered at the midway point between their homerooms.

Brian, who had been fidgeting with the left cuff of his shirt and jacket all morning, glanced over at him momentarily before once again turning attempting to make his sleeve fit properly over the bulky cast. “Four o’clock, I think. Not that I’ll actually be doing much....”

“Quit sulking,” Justin teased, reaching up tap a stray lock of Brian’s hair into place. “It’ll give you jowls and you won’t be a work of art anymore.”

“I’m not a work of art as it is,” Brian complained, his eyes never straying from his work. “I’m a mess.”

“That’s a matter of opinion,” Justin countered, flashing Brian a confident grin. “Knock it off. You’re going to tear your sleeve off in a minute.”

With each second that passed, Brian became more and more frantic. So much so that Justin started to really worry. Latching onto his boyfriend’s right arm, Justin guided him down the hall towards the nearest guy’s washroom. He pulled Brian in after him, locking the door after checking to make sure no one was inside. By that time Brian was trembling and Justin immediately pulled him into his arms, on arm going around Brian’s shoulders while he raked the fingers of his other hand into his hair.

Justin continued to hold onto Brian for several long minutes until he felt the shaking begin to lessen.

~*~*~

Sniffling, Brian backed out of Justin’s arms, scrubbing at his face with his right hand. He had no idea what was wrong with him. He normally didn’t break down like that, especially not somewhere so public.

“Sorry about that,” Brian mumbled, sparing Justin a quick glance before moving over to the sink. “Guess I’m still a little out of it.”

“Don’t worry about it,” Justin said immediately and Brian watched his approach through the mirror.

Brian stared down at his left hand and the cast that covered everything but his fingers and thumb. It was big and bulky and made his arm feel like it weighed twice as much as normal. The cast almost made showers incredibly difficult. At least it would when Justin wasn’t spending the night at Deb’s any more and he’d have to take them on his own.

“You know, I still haven’t signed your cast,” Justin spoke up, winding his arms around his waist from behind. “You’ve been hiding it under sweatshirts for the past two and I haven’t gotten the chance to sign it.”

Brian leaned back into Justin’s chest, turning his head, nuzzling his forehead against Justin’s temple. “I was actually not planning on having everyone sign it like a billboard.”

“But I’m not everyone,” Justin protested. “I’m your boyfriend. I get special treatment.”

Arching an eyebrow, Brian turned himself around in Justin’s arms. “Is that so? Why wasn’t I informed of this?”

“I could have sworn I sent you the memo,” Justin teased while maneuvering his hands under Brian’s jacket and gripped his hips. “But even if you didn’t, it’s still true.”

Knowing that he wouldn’t have a say in the matter, Brian allowed Justin to help him out of his blazer and obediently rolled his sleeve up while the blonde searched through his bag for a suitable marker. He didn’t want to admit to it, but Brian wanted to have Justin’s signature on the cast mainly to see what the blonde would come up with.

“Just remember that whatever you draw is going to be visible when I put a t-shirt on,” Brian warned as Justin turned towards him, black marker in hand.

Rolling his eyes, Justin uncapped the marker. “Spoil my fun.”

To Brian’s ultimate surprise, it wasn’t an attempted work of art that Justin drew on his cast, but a simple stick figure. A smiling one. Holding the hand of a taller one that was also smiling. Underneath was written the simply, “for always.”

“Does that meet your standards?” Justin asked, sliding his hand down the cast until his fingers brushed against Brian’s.

Unable to turn his hand over, Brian squeezed his fingers around Justin’s.

~*~*~

By the time they’d parted ways for homeroom, Justin had been relieved to see Brian in better spirits. He’d still been a little on edge, but no more than normal. If he hadn’t known any better, Justin would have thought that he was completely over what had happened. The only problem was that Justin did know Brian better than that. 

Knew that Brian was still hurting a great deal despite how well he tried to hide it.

So instead Justin did his best to push it aside and focus on his classes. Before and after each one he was bombarded with questions by curious people wanting to know what exactly had happened that weekend. Details that they had no right to know. One asshole even wanted to know if Brian got off on pain.

By the time he got to his third period class Justin was getting very angry. With each invasive and unnecessary question, Justin came even closer to losing his temper. He had to bite the inside of his cheek to keep from saying anything he’d regret when the head of the school paper asked him for an interview.

All the questions also made Brian nervous for Justin. If he was being asked so many questions he could only image how awful it was for his boyfriend. Brian was as secretive as they came, especially when it came to his family. Even Justin still didn’t know exactly how Brian felt about his parents being jailed for what they’d done to him. Personally, Justin was glad for it, but he was only an outside observer. He wasn’t the one who’d been hurt.

“Would Justin Taylor please report to the guidance office.”

Before the PA even clicked off, Justin was shoving his books into his backpack. He knew, in the pit of his stomach, that the reason he was being summoned to the guidance office was because of Brian. Because of what had happened that weekend.

Justin didn’t even spare a glance for the teacher as he rushed out of the classroom. There was something inside of him, the same unknown thing that had been screaming at him all day Saturday, letting him know that Brian needed him. Justin hurried down the hallways as quickly as possible without actually running.

Skidding to a stop in front of the doors to the guidance office, Justin did his best to appear composed and collected as he walked in.

“You wanted to see me?” Justin asked the secretary, trying to sound bored by the situation.

“Mr. Jensky needs to speak with you,” the woman said, glancing up from her keyboard momentarily and gave him a sympathetic smile.

Nodding his head briefly, Justin darted past her and into the dim room that the bird-like guidance counselor inhabited. It didn’t surprise him in the least when he saw that Brian was already in the room.

What he hadn’t been prepared for what just how freaked out Brian looked.

“Bri?”

~*~*~

As soon as he heard Justin’s voice, Brian whipped his head around. Until that moment he thought he’d been about to lose his mind. Everyone had been staring at him all morning, whispering behind his back. Normally it didn’t bother him, but Brian felt too exposed. His entire life was right there on the front page of the paper for everyone to read. All of his secrets were gone.

“I’m beginning to think that we should have stayed home an extra day,” Justin murmured, kneeling down in front of him. 

Brian stared down at the blonde’s face, trying to memorize his features. “Can’t. I have soccer practice. I don’t go to them, I don’t go here.”

In that moment his protector was back in full force. Justin whirled around, rising to his feet in that single motion. “Brian’s going to be kicked out of St. James if he doesn’t go to practice today? Whose fucked up rule is that?”

“Now, Mr. Taylor,” Jensky protested, pointing a finger in Justin’s direction. “I realize you’re upset, but that’s no reason to act in such a manner.”

“What? You mean speaking my mind? I thought that was the point of a school,” Justin shouted amidst gales of bitter laughter. “But that’s not what St. James is, is it? How naive of me. No, St. James is the breeding ground for average, white collar Americans. Anyone who gets in the way of that gets crushed. Well fuck that!”

“MISTER TAYLOR!”

Brian knew that Justin would have kept going, but he didn’t want his boyfriend to get into trouble. Definitely not because of him because no matter what Justin claimed, Brian knew he wasn’t worth it.

“Justin, don’t,” Brian called softly, holding onto Justin’s hip with his right hand to get his attention. “You don’t need to do this.”

“Do you seriously think that this school will come off good in the paper if they found out you were going to kick Brian out because of something beyond his control?” Justin demanded and Brian didn’t doubt for one moment that he would make good on the silent threat.

“It was not the intention of myself or the principle to have Brian expelled from St. James for failing to make practices given what has happened this weekend,” Mr. Jensky defended himself. “I was only trying to ascertain just how long Brian expected to be sidelined with his injuries. He is here on a soccer scholarship so it is not an unwarranted question.”

“And I told him that I wouldn’t know until I was able to practice this afternoon,” Brian said stiffly, forcing himself to stand up behind Justin without wincing from the still slightly painful movements.

“Well now that we have settled, can Brian and I go?” Justin demanded, not backing down.

No matter how often it happened, Brian wasn’t sure that he would ever get used to having Justin defend him. Having anyone defend him for that matter.

~*~*~

Justin honestly couldn’t figure out how someone like Jensky could end up being a school guidance counselor. He wouldn’t have asked the man a question about his non-existent dog let alone something that could possible effect the rest of his life. That was completely ignoring the fact that the man had absolutely no tact. It was Brian’s first day back at school after being left for dead by his parents and the man was worried about whether or not Brian would be at soccer practice that afternoon.

In situations like that, Justin hated being a teenager. He could rant and rave all he wanted, but in the end it wouldn’t matter in the least. Jensky would tell the school trusties whatever he wanted and Brian could be kicked out before the week was over.

“Actually, I wanted to have a talk with the both of you about what happened this weekend,” Jensky said, catching Justin completely off guard. “I have been in contact with social services since Saturday’s incident and--”

“It wasn’t an incident,” Brian ground out, his voice carrying a hard edge to it. Turning slightly, Justin placed his hand on Brian’s waist, offering silent support. “An incident would imply that it only happened once.”

Jensky nodded his head, a placating smile appearing on his face. “I realize that, Mr. Kinney. I was, however, referring mainly to what happened this past Saturday as it was the culmination of everything that had happened before.”

“Is that what it was?” Brian snorted in disbelief. He began to waver slightly, his gaze darting from the guidance counselor to Justin and back again. “And here I thought my old beating the shit out of me and tossing me out like a bag of trash because he found out that I’m gay. How stupid of me. He didn’t throw me down a flight of stairs and hit me over the head with a chair because he saw me kiss my boyfriend goodbye, he did it because it was a logical progression of beatings. First a poke then a shove then a slap then a punch! And I... oh, I just happened to be the unfortunate victim of his rage. Because I was born when he didn’t fucking want me, is that it? Is that the great insight you were looking for? My old man wanted my mom to get rid of me before I was even born and because she was too fucking self-righteous and didn’t, he got to take his anger out on me! Is that the answer you’re looking for?”

At some point during it all, Brian had not only started to shake, but to cry as well. Large, fat tears rolled down his cheeks and went unheeded as the twin trails met under his chin. The whole scene terrified Justin. He wanted to find some way to quiet Brian, to comfort him, but even if he should have he didn’t know how to.

By that time, Brian seemed to run out of steam. He leaned against Justin, shaking all over and still sobbing quietly. Justin wound his arms around his boyfriend, holding him safe as he quietly fell apart in the middle of the guidance counselor’s office. He glared daggers at the bird-like man behind the desk as he slowly guided Brian from the office.

What Justin really wanted to do was get Brian out of the school and back to Debbie’s. He would have done so, too, except that he wanted to wait for Brian to calm down. His boyfriend didn’t need to be exposed any more than he already had in the papers.

“Can we, um... can we use one of the rooms there?” Justin asked the secretary, nodding his head in the direction of the small rooms that had cots in them for people to use if they weren’t feeling well.

“Sure, hun, just let me go get the keys.”

While the secretary got the keys and went to unlock the door, Justin stood in the center of the room, rubbing Brian’s back and pepper his cheek, throat and shoulder with featherlight kisses.

~*~*~

“I feel like an idiot,” Brian mumbled against Justin throat as the two lay facing each other on the narrow cot.

“You’re not an idiot,” Justin said immediately, smoothing a thumb over Brian’s brow. “You just had a mini-meltdown. No big deal.”

Brian arched that same eyebrow. “No big deal? Did you happen to see that little scene back there in Jensky’s office? I fucking fell apart at the drop of a hat.”

The soccer player shifted onto his back, staring dejectively at the ceiling. He felt like he was falling apart and had absolutely no idea how to stop it. Or even how to slow it down.

“At least we don’t have to worry about one of us getting pregnant.”

Brian turned to Justin, staring at him in confusion. “What the fuck are you talking about?”

Justin shrugged slightly, his hand moving lightly over Brian’s stomach. “I’m just trying to be positive. Since we’re both guys we can fuck as much as he we want and don’t have to worry about one of us getting pregnant.”

“You’re insane,” Brian snorted, reaching down to latch onto Justin’s hand.

“That’s why you love me,” Justin said confidently.

Rolling back onto his side, Brian pressed himself as close to Justin as possible. What he really wanted was to disappear inside the blonde and stay there forever. Where he could be safe. Forever.

“I love you because you’re you,” Brian murmured against Justin’s cheek. “Because you’re Justin and, for some bizarre reason, you love me.”

“I do love you,” Justin confirmed. “A lot.”

“For always?”

“That too.”


	17. Cohorts in Crime

People were flying past him on either side, but Brian remained in place, praying that the everything would go as he intended. He had been moving quickly so his judgment hadn’t been perfect, but Brian hoped that it would be good enough. It took a few seconds, but each of those moments passed in slow motion.

There was a loud roar, cheers, at the same instant the ball went sailing past the goalie and into the net. Before Brian could even add his own shout to the noise he was being hoisted from the ground and onto the shoulders of his teammates.

From his high perch, Brian watched as the losing team quietly skulked away and the supporting fans made their way onto the field. Scanning the crowd, it did not take Brian long to find Justin.

“Let me down. Let me down,” Brian instructed, already moving forward the instant his feet touched the ground.

The crowd pushed in on him, all cheering and congratulating him, reaching out to touch him. Brian ignored them all, his height allowing him to track Justin’s progress through the mob.

“I don’t fucking believe it!” Justin shouted excitedly when his eyes met Brian’s.

“Like there was any doubt, Sunshine,” Brian grinned, throwing his arms around his boyfriend’s shoulders. 

His adrenaline still running high, Brian didn’t care where they were and dipped his head down in order to catch Justin’s lips in a heated kiss. He had done his job and won the school a trophy, the least they could do was let him celebrate with his boyfriend. Justin didn’t seem to have any problems with it as his hands began to clutch at Brian’s hips, pulling him closer.

“You’re all sweaty,” Justin laughed breathlessly, reaching a hand up to push Brian’s soaked bangs away from his forehead.

“That’s not the only thing I am,” Brian murmured against Justin’s cheek. “Think Deb’ll let you stay over on a--”

Before he could continue, Brian was being pulled in the opposite direction by his exuberant teammates who seemed dead set against him having a moment with his boyfriend. Brian allowed himself to be dragged along, knowing that it would be pointless to resist. He also didn’t feel much like resisting. 

Especially not when he heard his named announced over the speakers as the team MVP and that he had been named to the city team.

Not bad for a kid who’d been left for dead barely five weeks before.

~*~*~

The last Justin had seen of his boyfriend he’d been sliding through the massive puddle in the middle of the field with the rest of the soccer team. Considering the team had barely won any games for as long as Justin had been attending the school and longer, having a season where they didn’t lose a single game was certainly reason to celebrate. Justin doubted that he’d see Brian again until the following morning, but he was willing to share his lover for the night.

“Brian was fucking fantastic!” Debbie cheered as Justin jogged towards the Jeep where she and Vic were waiting for him. “And here I thought he was just some gawky teenager.”

“Oh I’m sure Brian would love to hear that,” Justin laughed, fishing in his pocket for the keys.

Vic arched a knowing eyebrow. “Somehow I think you take full benefit of those long legs of his.”

“Well that’s for me to know and you to fantasize about.”

Even though Brian had been kidnapped by the soccer team, Debbie insisted that Justin join her and Vic for a celebratory dinner at their house. Justin accepted immediately, not even considering turning down one of the fantastic meals served at the Novotny/Grassi home. Between the two of them, Vic and Debbie made some of the best Italian food he’d ever eaten.

“I got the tickets for you guys,” Justin informed them as he pulled out of the crowded parking lot. “You’ll be sitting front row opening night ready to laugh as I prance around in my fairy get-up.”

“I’m so proud of you boys,” Debbie praised, reaching forward from the backseat to pinch Justin’s cheek. “The both of you are so fucking talented I can’t even believe it.”

“Your parents will be there too, I take it,” Vic spoke up.

Justin nodded his head, his smile fading somewhat. “Mom, Dad and Molly will be sitting with the two of you and Brian.... Just make sure that, um... that my dad and Brian don’t sit near each other. I’m kinda hoping for there not to be bloodshed on opening night.”

Vic reached over and patted Justin’s arm. “Don’t worry, we’ll keep them in their opposite corners.”

“Thanks, Vic,” Justin sighed, his smile returning somewhat. “My mom and Molly both love Brian-- I think Molly even has a crush on him --but all he and my dad seem to do is butt heads. They have even before my dad found out we were sleeping together.”

“We’ll make sure that we’re all sitting between them,” Vic reassure him, squeezing Justin’s arm this time.

“So what are you making for dinner?” Justin asked, completely changing the subject as pulled up to a red light.

~*~*~

“You’d better not have eaten desert without me!” Brian called as he opened the front door to the house. 

“Wouldn’t dream of it, kiddo!” Deb laughed. “You’d better get in here quick, though, or else Justin’s going to end up eating it all.”

Dumping his jacket and bag beside the staircase leading upstairs, Brian jogged into the kitchen where the other three were sitting. As soon as they saw him, all three of them stood up and started applauding. Slightly shell shocked, Brian didn’t move as Justin made his way towards him and wound his arms around his neck.

“I’m so fucking proud of you,” Justin murmured, pressing a kiss to the corner of his jaw.

Squeezing Justin tight, Brian burrowed his face into the crook of his neck. Over Justin’s shoulder, Brian could see Deb and Vic smiling proudly at him. It was a situation Brian had never thought he’d be a part of. He was coming home to people who were actually proud of him and were celebrating because of him.

“Okay, enough of the lovey dovey stuff, I spend all afternoon working on this cake and we’re going to eat it,” Vic announced as he moved over to the counter where a cake slathered with chocolate icing was sitting. “The two of you can have your private celebration after we eat.”

Backing off, Justin grabbed hold of Brian’s hand and led him towards the table. “For a fellow queer, you sure know how to spoil a guy’s fun.”

“You can feel him up later, right now is a family moment,” Deb insisted as the boys sat down in their seats, Brian yanking Justin’s closer to his. “Now behave yourself and eat up.”

~*~*~

“I should have asked Vic for the extra icing,” Justin chuckled against Brian’s stomach. “We could have had a lot of fun with that.”

“I think there’s still some chocolate sauce left in the bottle if you’re that desperate for chocolate,” Brian smirked, reaching down to spear his fingers into the blonde hair.

Raising himself up on his elbows, Justin peered up the long expanse of Brian’s torso at his lover’s grinning face. He then slowly crawled up Brian’s body, placing lingering, open-mouthed kisses all the way. Brian started to lift himself up on his forearms and winced, immediately dropping back down.

“You okay?” Justin demanded, sitting up so that he was straddling Brian’s waist and reached for his boyfriend’s still healing left arm. The cast had been removed earlier in the week, but Brian still had to wear removable soft cast when he played soccer. “Is this because of that funny landing of yours near the end of the game?”

“I’m fine, Justin,” Brian protested, but did nothing to pull his arm out of Justin’s hands.

Justin rolled his eyes, “If you were fine it wouldn’t have hurt when you did that. So knock it off and let me pamper you.”

Gently placing Brian’s hand back down on his chest, Justin used his left hand to support himself as he reached towards the nightstand and the tube of lotion inside. When he situated himself back down on Brian’s lap, the brunette was quirking an eyebrow in his direction. Ignoring the look, Justin squirted some of the lotion into his hand and began to massage it into Brian’s still healing arm.

“You do realize that moisturizing my arm won’t help the bone heal any faster?” Brian smirked as he crooked his right arm behind his head.

Scooting backwards a bit, Justin reached down and began to stroke Brian’s cock with his right hands. Brian arched his back and fumbled to link his fingers with Justin’s left ones, squeezing tightly. It didn’t take Justin long to stroke Brian to full hardness, his fingers teasing the sensitive head.

~*~*~

“Jusss....” Brian moaned, his fingers squeezing Justin’s spasmodically. Using his free hand to his advantage, Brian reached up and stabbed his fingers into the hair at the nape of Justin’s neck, pulling the smaller man’s face down to his own. Tilting his own head up still further, Brian sucked Justin’s lower lip between his own.

As he arched his hips into Justin’s grip, Brian became aware his boyfriend’s own erection which was stabbing into his upper thigh. Brian trembled at the touch and arched his hips even further off the bed. He was utterly confused when his thrusting failed to bring him into contact with Justin. Tilting his head so that he could see down his body, Brian realized why that was.

The pair moaned simultaneously as Justin guided Brian’s dick into his hole. Once the head had slipped past the first ring of muscles, Justin pushed himself down so that Brian’s entire cock was buried in his ass.

“Gawd, I love you,” Brian moaned as Justin began to slide himself along his cock. He had to bite his lips to keep from crying out when Justin began to squeeze the muscles in his ass around Brian’s dick.

“Love you too,” Justin murmured, grinning softly at the other teen.

~*~*~

Justin felt deliciously squished. Delightfully sated too.

“I’m not squashing you, am I?” Brian yawned, lifting his head up from its place in the center of Justin’s chest.

Shaking his head, Justin wound his arms around Brian’s torso to make sure that he didn’t try to move. “Not in the least. Just stay right where you are and don’t move.”

“You’ll be flattened into the mattress if I don’t move,” Brian pointed out, laughter evident in his voice.

Justin rolled his eyes, pressing a kiss to the side of Brian’s head. “You’re not heavy enough to flatten me.” 

To make sure that Brian didn’t move, Justin brought his knees up on either side of the soccer player’s hips, holding him in place. He kept his left hand near Brian’s shoulders, occasionally sneaking up to play with the longer strands of his hair, while his right hand slid down to the small of his back. 

Had it not been for the fact that Brian’s left hand was idly tracing patterns along his right shoulder, Justin would have thought that the other teen had dozed off. He was tempted to ask Brian what he was thinking about, but Justin kept quiet. He knew that there was still some stuff that Brian was working through inside his head. Because even though Justin would like to believe that Brian was fine just because he was living with Debbie and Vic and no longer had any contact with his parents, he knew better.

“I was thinking that maybe we could go camping together or something once school is over,” Brian whispered over a yawn a little while later.

“The only thing I know about camping is how to make a s’more,” Justin grinned, earning him a quiet chuckle from his lover.

“Leave it to you to know about the food,” Brian said quietly, turning his head slightly so that he could brush a kiss against Justin’s damp chest. “Anyway, I was down in the basement last weekend helping Vic look for something and I found a bunch of old camping gear. He said that it should still be good and that the two of us could use it if we wanted this summer.”

Justin closed his eyes, a smile playing on his lips. “We could sleep under the stars if we wanted... make love outside in the shade of some really old trees... go skinny dipping late at night... build a huge fire and snuggle up together under a blanket....”

“Have I ever told you that you’re a very obvious romantic?” Brian murmured, lifting his head up so that he could meet Justin’s eyes.

Sliding his left hand up from Brian’s shoulders, Justin cupped the side of his face and lifted his head enough so that he could place the softest of kisses against Brian’s swollen lips. A slight smile tugged at the corners of Brian’s lips as Justin’s head fell back against the pillow. He then dipped his head down to brush a kiss against the hollow of Justin’s throat before lowering his head back down onto his chest.

~*~*~

“Well you two certainly look well fucked,” Deb snickered as the teens tumbled down the stairs the following morning.

Not looking where he was going because he had been in the middle of tying his tie, Brian bumped into Justin when he stopped halfway down the stairs. The only thing that kept him from falling forward was Justin who’s body refused to be moved.

“You’re looking a little flustered there, Justin,” Vic teased as he came in the front door with the paper tucked under his arm.

“It’s not like she didn’t have any clue what we were doing,” Brian said, nudging Justin forward. “They are in the same house as us and you’re anything if quiet when we do it.”

Justin shook his head slightly, Justin descended the rest of the stairs. “You know, it’s moments like this that I don’t mind being a WASP. Sex is one of those wonderfully taboo subjects that never get mentioned.”

“Which is why you’re being properly educated by me and Vic,” Deb informed him.

Brian couldn’t help but laugh at Justin’s stricken look. Despite everything the two of them had been through since they’d met, Justin still had a tendency to be somewhat of an innocent in some situations.

“Ignore my sister,” Vic laughed, continuing past the stairs and into the kitchen. “She can be a pain at times... but she was helpful last night when she reminded me of something I’d been meaning to give to the two of you for a while, but kept forgetting about.”

When Justin glanced at him over his shoulder, Brian could only shrug his shoulders. He trailed after his lover who had decided to follow Vic into the kitchen.

While he didn’t know what to expect when they entered the kitchen, what it hadn’t been was Vic holding out what looked like a pair of ID’s in their direction.

“We already have fake ID’s,” Justin said as he accepted the cards from the older man.

“But these aren’t fake ID’s. They’re membership passes.”

Sure enough, when he snatched one of the cards from Justin, Brian saw that it was exactly what they were. Membership passes to Babylon. The one club on Liberty that they hadn’t been about to get into.

“Who’s Roberto?” Brian asked, holding the card up in Vic’s direction.

Vic smiled somewhat sadly as he sat down in one of the chairs. “Roberto is an old flame of mine. We lived together in New York for a little while and when we split, I took that with me as a momento of sorts. And since neither Roberto or me are going to get any use out of those cards, I figured that the two of you would enjoy them.”

“Wow.... Thanks, Vic,” Brian said, crossing over to the older man and brushed a kiss against his cheek.

“Looks like we figured out what we’re doing tonight,” Justin chimed in. “Thank you.”

“Okay, enough of this sentimental crap,” Deb interrupted, appearing suddenly behind them, making both teens jump. “If you don’t leave now, you’re going to be late for school.”

~*~*~

Justin was still drinking the last of his orange juice that he’d gotten from the cafeteria when they approached Brian’s locker. They were near the chemistry lab, so he ignored the smoky smell that seemed to grow stronger as they neared the hallway that Brian’s locker was in.

As they rounded the corner, both teens stopped at almost the same time.

Across the front of Brian’s locker, so large that it took up space on both cubicles on either side, was the word “FAG” written with what looked like black spray paint. Smoke was billowing out of the locker.

Not ten feet away from where they stood was Chris Hobbs, doing nothing to conceal the lighter in his right hand.


	18. Cohorts in Crime

“You fucking prick!” Brian yelled as he charged at Chris.

The football player tried to dart out of the way, but Brian got there first and tackled him to the ground. He landed a series of hard punches to Chris’ face and upper body before the other teen managed to flip them over so that he was on top. By then a crowd had gathered around the pair, cheering them on.

“Get off of him!” Justin shouted as he forced his way through the crowd.

“Fuck off, Taylor,” someone hissed, shoving Justin back. Someone stuck out their foot to trip him and Justin went tumbling to the ground.

Rising to his knees, Justin shouldered the person who had tripped him out of the way as he stumbled to his feet and towards the battle. The one that Brian seemed to be temporarily winning. Until he received a knee to the gut and was flipped over onto his back. By that time Justin had made it to the edge of the crowd and lunged towards Chris. He latched onto the football player’s arm and attempted to pull it back.

All it earned him was an elbow in the mouth.

“Justin!” Brian shouted, obviously having caught sight of the blood that was dribbling down Justin’s chin from his split lip.

That seemed to be the cue for all of Chris’ friends to join in the melee. So did some of Brian’s friends from the soccer team. Never having been much of a physical fighter himself, Justin still managed to get a few punches in before the chemistry teacher and the janitor appeared to break up the fight.

All of the gawkers scattered at that, along with the reinforcements.

Which left Brian and Justin facing off against Chris, who, from the looks of things, had a freshly broken nose.

“Does someone want to tell me what’s going on?” Mr. Byrd demanded, arms folded across his chest in a customary enraged teacher stance.

Before any of them could answer, the fire alarm went off.

Followed almost immediately by the school sprinkler system.

~*~*~

If he hadn’t been so pissed off that the contents of his locker had been set on fire, Brian would have reveled in school being let out for the day. The entire school was soaked from the sprinkler systems that had continued to go off even after the fire in Brian’s locker and fizzled into nothing.

Seated on the lawn in front of St. James, Brian tenderly wiped the blood from Justin’s chin with some kleenex he dampened with a bottle of water. At the same time, Justin was dealing with a cut that went through his left eyebrow in the same manner.

“I wonder if they’ll make us go talk to Jensky again?” Justin mused as Brian got a fresh kleenex.

Despite himself, Brian quirked a slight smile. “Somehow I doubt that. Jensky’s scared shitless of you. Have you ever given any thought to being a lawyer ‘cause you’re definitely devious enough to be one.”

“Why? You plan on being a career criminal?” Justin teased, managing half a smile before the force of it began to pull on his split lip which made it start to bleed again.

Brian snorted outright at that. “I can just see that. Me the slick mob boss with you as my moll.”

“You mean I don’t get to be the second in command?” Justin demanded, feigning shock.

“Sorry, Sunshine, but artists are always the girlfriends,” Brian said matter of factly, earning himself a slap on the arm from the blonde. “Hey! Don’t take it out on me. It’s a well documented fact.”

“Well if those are the qualifications I’m sure you could talk Lindsay into being your moll,” Justin threatened, grinning at Brian’s immediately scowl.

Since the student parking lot was blocked off by the fire trucks, the pair had to remain at the school along with all the other students who drove. It actually surprised Brian that they hadn’t been interrogated by the principal yet considering he’d been standing barely twenty feet away from them the entire time.

“He’s probably just waiting so that he can drag us into his office and yell at us without an audience,” Justin suggested, laying himself down, using his backpack as a pillow.

Lying down as well, Brian rested his head on Justin’s stomach. “Why would he be after you? It was my locker and I was the one who started the fight. You were just part of the audience.”

“But, Bri--”

Brian shook his head, looking up at Justin’s face when he finished the motion. “Look, Justin, believe it or not, I can get into trouble without your help.”

“Twat,” Justin mumbled under his breath, flicking him in the temple.

~*~*~

Taking advantage of the day off school and the great weather, the duo made their way to Liberty Avenue for lunch, having their food packed as take out and heading to a nearby park. Justin brought his backpack with them and Brian the soccer ball he’d left in the back of the jeep.

“You didn’t lose anything important in your locker, did you?” Justin asked as he dunked some of his fries in a puddle of ketchup.

After a moment’s consideration, Brian shook his head. “Nothing that can’t be replaced. Just some textbooks and a few old tests. I don’t keep much in there.... Shit!”

“What is--”

“That sketch!” Brian muttered, stabbing his fingers into his hair. “The one you did of us in that hotel room on Valentine’s Day.... It was in my locker.”

“You kept that in your locker?” Justin murmured, staring at Brian in undisguised shock.

Brian shrugged his shoulders absently, playing absently with the straw in his pop. “On the back wall above the top shelf that I never use.... It was an amazing picture of a wonderful moment. I couldn’t keep it at home for obvious reasons at first and I just got used to having it there after I moved in with Deb and Vic.... Shit. I should have brought it home...”

“I have a photocopy of it at home,” Justin told him around a mouthful of fries. “I could make another copy of it for you. A sketch. Not a photocopy.”

“I promise I won’t leave that one in my locker,” Brian promised, smiling slightly at his boyfriend.

~*~*~

Just as he had predicted, Brian was the only one of them called down to the principal’s office the next day. In fact, as soon as he stepped into his home room, the teacher in formed him that the principal wanted to see him.

“You can go right in,” the secretary said as soon as Brian stepped into the outer office.

Nodding slightly, Brian made his way deeper into the main office and the imposing door. Even though he didn’t want to be, Brian felt nervous. His heart race increased slightly and he sucked his lips in over his teeth.

All of his nervousness vanished when he entered the office and saw that Chris Hobbs was sitting in one of the two chairs in front of the desk. He felt a sense of satisfaction run through him when he saw the bandages on his nose and the massive black eyes that had resulted from his broken nose.

“I’m glad that you could join us, Mr. Kinney,” principal Bower said as Brian stepped into the room. “I think that it is time the three of us had a discussion about this feud going on between the two of you.”

Both teens were silent as Brian made his way to the empty chair, slumping down in it rather gracelessly. He had no desire to be anywhere near Chris Hobbs, but had no choice in the matter. At least not at the moment.

“Neither of you want to say anything?” Bower asked, arching an eyebrow. “Very well, you can listen to me.... I want this to stop. I don’t know what started this, but it stops now. It was bad enough when you were starting fights last semester in your gym class, but yesterday’s display goes far beyond what is acceptable. That fire you started yesterday, Mr. Hobbs, caused a fair amount of damage around the school when the sprinkler system went off, not to mention your defacement of Mr. Kinney’s locker.”

“He’s a fucking fag and flaunts it everywhere,” Chris protested, sneering in Brian’s direction.

“Justin and I don’t do anything you don’t do with your girlfriend,” Brian pointed out, doing everything he could to keep his temper in check.

Bower leaned back in his chair, folding his hand on the desk in front of him. “Be that as it may, Mr. Kinney, you have to understand why Mr. Hobbs is uneasy by your public displays of affection with Mr. Taylor.”

“No I don’t,” Brian said with a shake of his head. “He doesn’t show any consideration for me or Justin when he starts making out with what’s-her-name. If we have to be subjected to watching a pair of breeders make out then he can survive watching the queers.”

“And while I respect your right to choose--”

“It’s not a fucking choice,” Brian interrupted. “I didn’t choose to be queer, I just am queer. The same way you’re both straight.”

“You’re a freak of nature,” Chris sneered in the wake of Brian’s statement.

“Enough!” the principal ordered, his booming voice causing both teens to jump slightly. “I’ve had more than enough of this from both of you. So you’re going to be quiet and listen to me without interrupting. Understand?”

“Yes, sir,” the boys mumbled nearly on top of each other.

Bower nodded his head, satisfied for the moment. “Glad to hear it. So here’s how it’s going to go....”

~*~*~

“You’ve gotta be shitting me!” Justin cried after Brian told him what had happened in the principal’s office that morning. The pair were sitting on the small landing in front of the third floor storage room, eating their lunch in private. “Hobbs doesn’t even get a detention?”

Leaning back against the door, Brian shook his head. “Apparently me breaking his nose is punishment enough for Hobbs. And if either one of us gets in trouble like this again we’re suspended for three days.”

“That’s seriously fucked,” Justin muttered as he picked up half of his sandwich. “The guy sets you locker on fire and he doesn’t even get in trouble. How fucked up is this school?”

“You didn’t really expect them to treat us the same as everyone else, did you?” Brian asked, smirking slightly. “We’re the only out pairs in the whole school which makes us a huge minority.”

“It shouldn’t matter,” Justin mumbled, pointing the sandwich half at Brian. “He set your locker on fire, that should be the only--”

~*~*~

“-- thing that matters!” Deb shouted, pointing a finger in Brian’s direction. “Straight or not, that little bully needs to be taught a lesson!”

Brian sunk back into the couch, watching idly as the waitress paced back and forth in front of him. “There’s nothing you can do, Deb, so just leave it alone.”

“The hell I am! If they can go through all that trouble to make sure that you attend their school, the least they can do is make sure that you’re not harassed by an stuck up little brat,” Deb ranted, waving her arms around as she spoke. “You know what I going to do, I’m going to march over to that school first thing Monday morning and given that man a piece of my mind.”

“No,” Brian said sternly, his posture straightening. “You aren’t going to do anything about it, Deb. Yeah, it sucks, but it’s life. You just learn to live with it.”

“Brian Kinney, you take that back right this minute!”

Rising to his feet, Brian raked his fingers through his hair. “Don’t worry, Deb, he won’t be winning any time soon. He’ll just think that he is.... Now I’m going to have a shower. We have to leave for the play in about an hour.”

~*~*~

“.... Give me your hands if we be friends. And Robin shall restore amends,” Justin declared, giving the audience an exaggerated wink before disappearing behind a huge particle board hill.

The curtain started to go down to the sound of thunderous applause from the audience. He jogged off stage into the wings to get ready for the orchestrated bow. When it was his turn to run up to the front of the stage and take a bow, Justin heard a loud whistle that he knew had come from Brian. And another from Debbie.

Smiling brightly, Justin waved in the direction he knew them to be sitting before backing up so that the young lovers could come out for their bow.

Half an hour later, after he had changed and removed the thick layer of make-up that had been slathered on his upper body-- the costume not having much in the way of a shirt --Justin exited the changing rooms to find Brian waiting for him. The soccer player was dressed completely in black; his customary pair of combat boots, black slacks and a silk shirt he’d gotten from the retro shop on Liberty. Untucked and with both cuffs and the top three buttons undue, Brian looked like some sort of dark god.

And in his hands he was holding a single red rose.

“I realized this afternoon that I’ve never given you flowers,” Brian said softly as Justin came to stand in front of him. “It’s not a whole bouquet, but....”

“Have I ever told you before that you’re the most amazing boyfriend on the planet?” Justin asked as he accepted the rose from Brian. When Brian’s arms went around his waist, Justin moved readily into the embrace, slipping his own arms slipping around Brian’s shoulders.

“You’re not too bad yourself, Sunshine,” Brian murmured against his lips. “But, I’ve gotta say, I like our version of the play better.”

Chuckling quietly, Justin leaned his forehead against Brian’s. “Somehow I don’t think the schoolboard would approve of the Homoerotic Adventures of Puck and Oberon.”

“Then they should learn to be more daring,” was Brian’s immediate response. “We’d have a sold out show every night.”

“Yeah, on Liberty,” Justin countered, laughing outright that time.

Brian seemed to consider his words for a moment then shrugged his shoulders. “Then let’s go. We still haven’t tried out those cards Vic gave us.”

“Babylon it is,” Justin agreed, sliding out of Brian’s arms. He caught Brian’s hand with his free one and began to lead him down the corridor.

~*~*~

“You’re certainly looking well preserved for your age, Roberto,” the bouncer said as he inspected Brian’s card. He then snatched up Justin’s. “You too, Vic.... Enjoy the party.”

Not giving the guy a chance to change his mind, Brian immediately went through the main door, Justin following right after him. The short corridor they found themselves in was completely black. Then there was another door and they were inside.

Brian wasn’t entirely too sure what he’d been expecting when he set foot inside the exclusive dance club, but it certainly wasn’t as insane as the real thing. 

Flashing lights of every colour lighting up the massive interior.

Glittering confetti floating down from the rafters.

Gorgeous guys dancing nearly naked on platforms to the loud, thumping music. 

The dance floor was filled almost entirely with even more half naked guys, all grinding together in some weird parody of sex.

“This is insane!” Justin attempted to shout over the pulsating music.

“This is heaven,” Brian murmured as he began to weave his way to the center of the club, latching onto the center of Justin’s shirt and pulling the blonde after him.


	19. Cohorts in Crime

“You’re out of your mind.”

“No, I’m perfectly sane.”

“Not if you think I’m going to do that.”

“It’s fun.”

“It’s insane.”

“Come on, I dare you.”

“That’s not gonna work.”

“What’s not?”

“That pathetic puppy dog face.”

“Well fine then. Be that way.”

With a final wink in Justin’s direction, Brian bolted forward and vaulted himself from the ledge with a loud cry.

Chasing after him, Justin stopped at the end of the ledge to watch as his boyfriend tumbled the hundred or so feet to the water below. He had always known that Brian was an insane daredevil, but he had never realized just how insane until that moment. Brian’s wild banshee cry continued until he disappeared into the murky depths, water shooting upwards in his wake.

Even though they had been swimming in the old quarry for most of the day and Justin knew for a fact that it was very deep, Justin was worried until he saw Brian’s head pop back up above the surface. Brian spun himself around so that his was lying on his back and waved up at Justin, a huge smile on his face.

“Come on, Sunshine, the water’s great!” Brian shouted up at him, using his long legs to kick himself more towards the center of the quarry lake.

Sitting with his legs hanging over the edge, Justin shook his head. “It’s not happening, Brian! I like being on solid ground!”

“Wuss!” Brian laughed before disappearing under the water once again.

From his high perch, Justin watched Brian’s silhouette as it moved just below the surface of the water. His movements were very graceful, his long limbs flowing in a steady motion. Periodically Brian would poke his head above the surface to inhale some fresh air, but he would slip back down seconds later.

Justin leaned back against the rocky surface and shut his eyes against the bright sun. When Brian had first suggested that they go camping at some point during the summer, Justin had been a little wary because he had never actually been camping before. Two days into their five day stay, Justin discovered that, while he didn’t care too much for the misquotes, he really enjoyed camping. Camping with Brian, anyway.

They’d spent the previous night huddled in front of a fire, roasting marshmallows and cooking hot dog sandwiches in some strange contraption they’d found in Deb and Vic’s basement. Since it was the middle of the week, the campground wasn’t very full and along with the relative seclusion they had arranged for with their site, the pair had been able to partake in some passionate love making in the shade of some old elms behind their tent just after dawn.

During the days, the pair had divided their time between hiking, biking along the trails, swimming and simply lounging around their campsite; Brian reading the copy of The Fountainhead he’d borrowed from Vic while Justin did some sketching.

To Justin, the time away from the Pitts was the perfect chance for them to recharge themselves before their final year at St. James.

~*~*~

Scrubbing a towel through his hair, Brian couldn’t help but smirk at the red tinge that was beginning to creep into Justin’s skin. Considering they had spent the past two days in the sun, Brian was surprised that it had taken Justin so long to get a sunburn. Not that he had gotten much in the way of a tan, either. Justin skin had retained its usual pale colour, except that now it was turning red.

Nearly three months of soccer had given Brian a very noticeable tan. With each progressing round, Brian’s skin had continued to darken to a deep golden hue. Having made all-city, Brian’s team went on first to win the regional competition and had gone to the finals of the state competition. While the team had failed to win the final game, it had been very close.

The state championships had been held in Philadelphia and even though his team had only come in second place, Brian and Justin still spent the night celebrating in the blonde’s hotel room because Brian had once again been named MVP. He, along with the rest of his team, knew that it wasn’t often someone on the losing team was given the honour so it had been almost impossible for Brian and Justin to sneak away the party going on in the team’s hotel so that they could celebrate on their own.

Their private celebration had gone on until after dawn.

“Wake up before you end up turning into a lobster,” Brian said, dropping his wet towel down onto Justin’s face.

“I’ll have you know that I’m slathered in sunblock. I’m fine,” Justin countered as he pushed the soaked towel up over his head to glare up at his boyfriend, using a hand to block the sun’s rays from reaching his eyes.

“You’re turning red, Sunshine.... So, I think that it is in my best interest to reapply your sunblock to make sure you don’t burn,” Brian informed him, leaning down to scoop up the bottle of sunblock that was sticking out of Justin’s backpack.

Justin arched an eyebrow, his eyes hidden by his sunglasses. “Oh you do?”

“I really do,” Brian told him as he straddled Justin’s waist, making sure to rub his soaked shorts against Justin’s bare stomach while he got himself settled.

Chuckling softly, Justin crossed his arms behind his head. “Well then get to it, slave boy.”

Brian arched an eyebrow while he squirted some of the slightly cool goo onto the center of Justin’s chest, making him jump slightly. “Don’t get smart, Sunshine.”

“Wouldn’t dream of it, babe,” Justin grinned, a groan escaping moments later as Brian began to rub the sunblock into his pale skin.

With extreme precision, Brian covered Justin’s torso with the protective lotion, paying special attention to the areas he knew to be extremely sensitive. The tops of Justin’s hips, along his right collarbone and, of course, his nipples. He had Justin writhing within minutes as he traced idle patterns over his chest even after the sunblock had disappeared into his skin. Brian was fully aware of what he was doing to Justin. It was hard to miss considering he was sitting directly on top of Justin’s hardening dick.

Justin whimpered as Brian slid off his body, hand fumbling in his direction. “Please....”

“Don’t worry, Sunshine,” Brian murmured, leaning over to brush a kiss against Justin’s lips. “I just figured we should move to somewhere a little more secluded before I shove your heels up above your head.”

“Aren’t you the romantic!” Justin snickered, allowing Brian to pull him up into a seated position.

“Ye of little faith, Sunshine.”

~*~*~

Sitting crossed legged on the blanket, Justin quickly sketched Brian’s slumbering form. His boyfriend was lying on his stomach, his legs curled up slightly, his far hand lying above his head and the nearer one clenched in a loose fist beside his face. The only thing that covered him were a few splotches of fading sunlight that leaked through the leaves, the thing sheen of perspiration covering him giving him the appearance of glowing. Add the mussed up hair and the slight grin curving his lips and Brian looked every bit the slumbering god.

~*~*~

“I’m thinking of having ‘Property of Brian Kinney’ tattooed on your ass,” Brian mumbled as he blinked his eyes open to receive a proper view of said ass.

“Only if I can get ‘Property of Justin Taylor’ on yours,” the blonde countered, grinning at him over his shoulder as he continued to search for something in his backpack.

Laughing quietly, Brian pushed himself up on his elbows as he shook his head free of sleep. “You’ve already marked your territory, Sunshine.”

“I have not!” Justin giggled as he spun back around so that he was sitting facing Brian.

Rolling onto his side, Brian spread his legs to give Justin a good view of his inner thighs. “That,” he said, pointing to the oddly placed hickey on his inner thigh close to where his thigh and groin joined, “is most definitely your doing. I may be flexible, but I’m not that flexible. I don’t even think you are.”

Leaning over to inspect it, Justin settled himself down on his stomach so that he could press his mouth to the oval-shaped bruise. He nudged Brian’s balls with his nose while he busied himself with the skin on the inside of his thigh. Brian groaned loudly as his cock began to stir as a result of Justin’s ministrations and shifted his hips slightly in an attempt to get Justin to pay more attention to his cock and balls. Justin, of course, knew that and took great pleasure from focusing on other areas.

Brian had to bite his lips to keep from crying out as Justin’s mouth moved just enough so that it was his scrotum that was being treated to the wonderful suction. His cock was well on its way to full hardness by that time and curving up towards his stomach. 

But Brian wasn’t satisfied with simply lying there.

~*~*~

Justin couldn’t help but gasp as Brian’s tongue licked at the head of his cock. The sudden vibration it caused trembled the shaft in his mouth which had Brian moaning around Justin’s dick. The cycle continued a few times before Brian turned his attention from Justin’s cock to his asshole.

The blonde was hard pressed to keep his attention focused on the dick in his hand when Brian’s fingers began playing with his hole, stretching and probing and generally making him shiver with lust.

“Bri....” Justin moaned as he thrust himself back onto Brian’s fingers, his boyfriend’s cock completely forgotten for the moment. 

He had other things in mind.

Sliding himself away from Brian’s wonderfully talented fingers, an act which left both of them whimpering, Justin turned himself around so that he could get at his lover’s lips.

~*~*~

“I love you, I love you, I love you....” Brian moaned continuously as he and Justin thrust against each other. Brian was buried to his balls inside of Justin’s tight hole and feeling as though he was about to burst at any moment.

Rolling them around so that Justin was on his back underneath him, Brian continued to thrust in and out of the clenching hole. He managed to reach between their bodies, holding himself up on his free arm, and wrapped his fingers around Justin’s cock. It was slick with precum and moved easily in his fist as he pumped it in time with their movements.

Able to hold himself up a bit, Brian was able to see every expression as it danced across Justin’s face. All of the love, all of the passion... it was all right there in those fathomless blue eyes. Eyes locked on his own.

~*~*~

“Now you’re the one with a hickey in an unusual place,” Brian said smugly as the two of them got their breathing under control following their orgasms.

Justin arched a lazy eyebrow, snuggling himself against Brian’s side. “Is that so? And just where did you happen to mark me?”

Brian’s response was to run his hands over the smaller teen’s well endowed rump.

“You gave me a hickey on my ass?!” Justin burst out, smacking Brian on the chest. “Why in the fuck did you give me ass a hickey?”

“I seem to recall the one you gave my crotch starting this whole thing,” Brian chuckled, giving the round globes an affectionate squeeze.

“But you taste so good there,” Justin laughed. “All nice and concentrated.”

“You’re such a freak.”

Justin smirked and brushed a kiss against Brian’s damp chest. “Pot. Kettle. Black.”

The two laid together in the fading sunlight, enjoying in the afterglow. Dusk was approaching and the sun was beginning to set which meant that it was becoming cooler. The blanket was large enough so that each was able to pull up an end on either side of their bodies to help preserve some of the heat since neither one had any intention of moving for a while.

“I’m really glad that you suggested this,” Justin said quietly, his hand lazing across his boyfriend’s stomach. “This is the best vacation I’ve ever been on.”

“This is the only vacation I’ve ever been on,” Brian chuckled quietly. “But I have every intention of making our next vacation even better. Every year they’ll get better and better.”

Justin wiggled out of Brian’s arms and pushed himself up on his elbows so that he could look down at the brunette’s face. “So what do you have planned for our next vacation?”

“Niagara Falls,” Brian responded without hesitation. “I’ve always wanted to go there.”

Justin could tell right away that there was some ulterior motive to Brian’s plans, but didn’t press him. It wasn’t some sinister thing that he was hiding and Justin had learned a while ago that Brian’s surprises were always very good things. His last major surprise had been for his birthday when Brian had taken him to a showing of one of his favourite artists at a gallery downtown.

“I’ve never been there,” Justin murmured, lightly brushing Brian’s bangs away from his face. “It’s supposed to be really romantic.”

That brought a grin to Brian’s face. “I told you I was a romantic.”

“Niagara Falls it is then,” Justin agreed, loving the soft look that came over Brian’s eyes then. “And instead of us celebrating you being a kick ass soccer player, we can celebrate us moving into our own place.”

Brian made a startled noise and shook his head slightly. “I still can’t believe that’s only a year away. It seemed like so long ago that we decided that we were going to move in together after high school.”

“A lot’s happened,” Justin said quietly, leaning down to brush a kiss against Brian’s parted lips. “But we’ve survived it all and we’re going to keep on surviving no matter what.”

~*~*~

“Come on, Sunshine, you know you want to.”

“No, I d’t. I’ll just finish packing up our stuff so we can go back to the campsite while you partake in your insanities.”

“Please, Sunshine?”

“Oh no! Don’t you pout. That’s not going to work, Bri. I’m not going to fall for it.”

“Do it this once and I’ll never bug you about it for the rest of the week.”

“Brian....”

“Come on.”

“.... Well, it does look kinda fun....”

Brian held out his hand towards Justin, hoping that his boyfriend would take it. For a few moments longer, Justin continued to hesitate.

Then he slid his hand into Brian’s, squeezing it tightly. “Don’t let go of me.”

“Never,” Brian promised, backing up a few steps from the ledge so that they could get a good running start. “You ready?”

“Ready as I’ll ever be,” Justin breathed out, his eyes focused straight ahead.

“Then let’s go.”

Hands tightly clenched, the pair ran forward and jumped out into the air when they reached the end of the ledge. As soon as they began to tumble down to the water below, both were screaming in exhilaration in the couple of seconds it took for them to splash down in the cool water.

Their hands never separated even when they were kicking their way back to the surface.

“Can we go again?” Justin demanded, water trickling into his mouth as it ran down his face from his hair.

Kicking his legs to stay above the surface, Brian pulled Justin into his arms, kissing those wet lips. When Justin’s arms went around his shoulders, holding onto him tightly, Brian dunked them under the water, bubbles exploding around their faces as the kiss turned into joint laughter.


	20. Cohorts in Crime

“Well isn’t this an interesting sight.”

Startled by Deb’s sudden appearance, the teens jumped apart quickly. So quickly, in fact, that they momentarily forgot that they were on Brian’s narrow bed and both went tumbling off and onto the ground. Before Brian could make a grab for the dark blue comforter on his bed it was being yanked out of his reach by Justin. So Brian snatched his jeans which were lying near the foot of the bed and pulled them over his lap.

“Did you need something, Deb?” Brian asked, arching an eyebrow his the waitress’ direction.

“Nothing that either one of you could offer,” she smirked, her eyes darting back and forth between the two of them. “But Sunshine’s mom is on the phone looking for him.”

“What time is it?” came Justin’s voice from the other side of the bed.

“Four-thirty,” Deb answered immediately.

“Shit!”

Before Brian could even ask what was going on, Justin was up and fumbling around for his clothes, the comforter wrapped around his waist. Justin instructed Deb to tell his mom that he was on his way home then shimmied into his boxers while somehow managing to keep the comforter in place. Once he had his underwear on, Justin let the sheet fall to the ground and hurried threw on his clothes. Brian, on the other hand, stayed exactly where he was.

“Do I get to know what’s going on?” Brian asked as he watched an upside down version of his boyfriend hop around on one foot while putting one of his socks on.

“It’s my grandparents’ fiftieth anniversary and we’re having a dinner at the country club,” Justin answered, changing feet in mid-hop so that he could put his other sock on.

Brian smirked slightly and put his hands behind his head in an attempt to get more comfortable. “We’re going to have to get you a day planner so that you can remember all of these important dates.”

The blonde spared him a quick glare as he began searching for his missing shoe. Figuring that the uncomfortable thing pressing into the small of his back was the missing sneaker, Brian removed the offending object and tossed it in his boyfriend’s direction.

“I’ll call you when I get home tonight,” Justin promised, crouching down next to Brian in order to brush a quick kiss against his upturned lips.

Not satisfied with the fleeting contact, Brian latched onto the center of Justin’s tee and pulled the blonde back down. The second kiss was much more lingering and Brian could feel Justin’s resolve to leave slipping away as he probed his tongue inside the other teen’s mouth.

“Evil Irishman,” Justin mumbled as he sat back on his heels, glaring down at the smug expression on Brian’s face. “I’ll call you when I get home.”

When the door was slammed shut behind Justin, Brian once again settled down into the carpet, pulling the comforter under his head to act like a pillow. Once he was satisfied, Brian slid his right hand down his torso towards his erection which had returned following Deb’s exit.

~*~*~

“You’re late!” were the first words out of his father’s mouth as Justin burst through the front door.

“I know! I know!” Justin shouted and, without stopping, bolted up the stairs and towards his bedroom.

Knowing how much his grandparents hated to be kept waiting, Justin was almost glad that he and Brian had been interrupted before they’d gotten to the main event. They’d barely even had their clothes off when Deb had burst into Brian’s room so he wouldn’t need to have a shower to wash semen or anything else off his body.

Within minutes, Justin had transformed himself into the perfect country club brat. Khakis, button-down and dress shoes replaced the jeans, tee and sneakers he’d been wearing earlier. Even with fixing his hair and washing his face, Justin was downstairs less than ten minutes after he’d arrived at home.

“See, all ready to go,” Justin gasped as he bounded down the stairs. “Happy?”

“Thrilled,” his mother answered, fishing her keys out of her purse. As she ushered Justin towards the front door, she paused momentarily to give him a stern look. “I don’t mean to pry, sweetheart, but don’t you think you’re spending a little too much time with Brian? I’m lucky if I can get you to sleep here three nights a week and I’m sure Debbie is getting sick of having the two of you around all the time.”

Justin rolled his eyes dramatically. “We’re not there all the time, Mom. We’re only there about as much as we’re here except that we sleep there more often and we always go out for breakfast the next morning.”

“I’m only worried about you, Justin. You spend far too much time with Brian,” Jennifer protested, twisting her hands together.

The teen was prevented from answering by his father’s annoyed honking of the car horn. He smirked slightly at his mother then jogged outside and to the car.

~*~*~

“You’re looking a little flush there, Brian,” Vic chuckled as he watched Brian flop down on the couch a few minutes after Justin left. “My sister catch you in the act?”

Brian flashed him a grin, reaching forward to grab the copy of “The Fountainhead” that the older man had left on the coffee table. “My pants were down, but I wasn’t in the act of anything that I can’t do fully clothed.”

“Darn,” Vic mumbled. “And here I thought I could live vicariously through you.”

“So that is your heavy breathing that I hear on the other side of the door whenever Justin and I have sex,” Brian laughed with a tongue in cheek smirk.

“You brat!” Vic scolded as he got up and headed into the kitchen to help Debbie with dinner.

Grin firmly in place, Brian stretched out lengthwise along the couch and opened the book to the first chapter. By the time he was a few pages in, he had completely forgotten about Vic’s presence and was completely absorbed in the novel. He’d known that Vic had a few of Ayn Rand’s books, but have never really paid any attention to them since he always had enough to read for school. Now that he had started to read it, Brian found himself instantly hooked.

“Door’s for you.”

Quickly finishing the paragraph, Brian dog-eared the already well read book and set it down on the coffee table as he rolled off the couch and to his feet. Brian was initially confused as to who would be at the door considering Justin was the only person from school who knew where he lived, but shrugged it off.

Brian stopped dead in his tracks when he saw who it was that was waiting for him in the foyer.

“Hey, baby brother,” Claire murmured, nervously running her fingers through her long brown hair.

~*~*~

“Oh, my little baby’s growing up,” Viviene Taylor cooed as she pulled Justin into a tight hug. “It seems like just yesterday you were this sweet little thing that couldn’t even crawl and now you mom tells me you’re in a relationship.”

“You know about Brian?” Justin asked, doing nothing to hide his shock at the revelation.

Looping her arm through her grandson’s Viviene led Justin away from the crowd to a more secluded area of the main hall of the Rochester Country Club. “Your mother told me all about Brian when there was that nasty business about his parents in the news. She was very proud of you and quite fond of Brian from what I can tell.”

“When it serves her purpose,” Justin countered, a slight smirk twisting his features. “She definitely like Brian better before she found out that we’re dating.”

“Oh I have a feeling that you’re doing more than that,” the old woman countered, chuckling as her grandson’s jaw dropped open.

“Gram!”

“Oh, don’t be such a prude, Justin,” she chided, tapping Justin’s chin upwards. “I know exactly what goes on between two young people.”

“Doesn’t mean I need to hear about it,” Justin grumbled, scrunching his face up in disgust.

Viviene lightly patted his arm, signaling for him to stop. “Then let me say this and that’ll be enough about it.” She waited for Justin to nod his head before continuing. “I know that you’re parents aren’t sure how to deal with the fact that the person you’ve fallen in love with is another boy, but you don’t pay them any mind. My uncle who I loved very dearly was a homosexual just the same as you. When my grandparents found out about him they were very cruel. He was barely sixteen years old and they kicked him out on the street without a second thought. But my uncle was as strong as could be. He survived all that and found a man that he loved beyond all reason. The two of them lived happily together for all their lives. To this day I have never seen anyone as in love as my uncle and his partner. And I know that it will be the same for you and your Brian.”

It took Justin a moment to digest what his grandmother had told him, but when he did he couldn’t stop the smile from appearing on his face. “You are such a romantic, Gram. I never knew you had it in you.”

“I was a young lady once, darling,” Viviene reminded him, lightly cupping his cheeks. She held his head stationary as she dropped a kiss onto his forehead. “Now I expect you to introduce me to your young man one day soon.”

Justin could only nod his head, still slightly amazed by the fact that his grandmother was so accepting of his relationship with Brian.

~*~*~

“Did you even taste that?” Claire chuckled as she watched Brian inhale the rest of his cheeseburger.

Brian grinned as he swallowed the food in his mouth. “Every bit of it.”

“Well as long as I’m getting my money worth,” his sister said with a familiar tongue in cheek smirk. “So would I be guessing right if I said that you’re happy now?”

“I’m very happy,” Brian confirmed with a broad smile. “Deb and Vic are amazing. They’re like we always wanted Mom and Pop to be when we were little. What about you? How’s life with Aunt Cathy and Uncle Scott treating you?”

“No curfew and a boyfriend, thankyouverymuch,” Claire informed her younger brother, batting her eyelashes dramatically.

Brian snorted in amusement as he stabbed a couple of french fries in a puddle of ketchup. “I take it this guy hasn’t seen you first thing in the morning or else he’d be running for the hills.”

“And yet somehow you’ve managed to keep Justin around.”

Brian had forgotten just how much he enjoyed matching wits with his older sister. When he had first learned that Claire was going to Atlanta to live with their aunt and uncle, he’d been amused by the irony of his sister being shipped off to the same place Joanie had told Justin he had gone to. And as relieved as he had been to be free of his parents, Brian had hated that it was messing up his sister’s life as well. Claire had been forced to change schools and cities for only two months while she finished up her senior year.

It was the first time that they’d seen each other since Claire had moved out of town following their parents’ arrest. There had been a few minutes of awkwardness in the beginning, neither one really knowing how to react around the other. Claire had been the one to end it by wrapping her arms around Brian’s shoulders and pulling him into a tight hug. And, even though it was a question she had asked him many times in the almost four months that had passed since that fateful night, Claire had promised Brian once again that she hadn’t known what their father had done to him or what their mother was trying to cover up. Knowing that it was true since Claire had been the only person before Justin who had ever given a damn about it, Brian had told her not to worry about it. 

That it was in the past.

“Did I tell you that I’m going to Penn State in the fall?” Claire asked him as she stabbed some chicken and lettuce with her fork.

“No shit!” Brian laughed, leaning back in his seat. “What program? Or do I even want to know?”

“You’re a real brat, you know that?” Claire muttered, tossing a crouton at him and bursting out laughing when Brian caught it in his mouth.

~*~*~

“So do you have a girlfriend yet?” Justin’s aunt Laurie asked part way through the dinner.

Nearly choking on his chicken, Justin glanced first at his mother then over at his aunt. He’d always assumed that at some point all of his family had found out about him not being straight.

“Don’t be daft, darling,” Viviene chided with a dramatic roll of her eyes. “You know as well as I do that our Justin has a boyfriend. A champion soccer player too. I read about him in the paper a few weeks back.”

Laurie frowned slightly and took a drink from her glass of wine. “Still? I thought that was just a phase. I didn’t realize you were serious about this... being gay.” The last part was whispered and Laurie even went so far as to raise a hand to shield her lips when she said it.

“Trust me, Aunt Laurie, it’s not a phase,” Justin assured her, doing his utmost to keep from laughing. “I love Brian and that’s not going to go away any time soon. Don’t be surprised if one day you’re invited to our wedding.”

“Really, Justin,” Laurie huffed, glancing around to make sure that no one was staring at their table. “Must you talk about such unpleasant things at the table.”

“But you’re the one who asked Justin about it,” Molly pointed out without glancing up from her plate. “And Mommy always says that you’re supposed to answer people’s questions. Besides, I like Brian. He’s really cute and all my friends got jealous when he and Justin came to pick me up from school one day ‘cause Brian kissed me on the cheek.”

Even though his sister tended to drive him insane most of the time, at that moment Justin could have kissed her. Laurie looked as though she had swallowed a bug or something equally gross.

~*~*~

“You’ve gotta be shitting me. Molly really said that?”

“Molly really said that.”

“Your sister rocks. Tell her I’ll have a surprise for her the next time I come over.”

“It had better not involve sugar. I’ll hurt you if it involves sugar.”

“Says the guy who thinks Pixie Stix are the food of gods.”

“They are! Flavoured sugar! What could be better than that?”

“A lot of things come to mind, Sunshine. Unfortunately, none of them will do us any good at this moment.”

“You didn’t really take your sister to Babylon, did you?”

“It was Claire’s idea. She wanted to know if gay bars were any different than straight ones.”

“Woody’s is more of a bar than Babylon.”

“But Babylon’s more fun. Claire’s really jealous of us and she said that we’re taking her there again before she goes back to Atlanta on Friday.”

“Claire Kinney a fag hag. Who woulda thought?”

“Somehow I don’t think my sister qualifies as a fag hag. She just likes looking at the half naked guys dancing around.”

“You say that like it’s a bad thing.”

~*~*~

It was close to three in the morning when the cab pulled up in front of his mother’s house. He hadn’t told her that he was coming for a visit, wanting to surprise her instead. Since he still had his key, he let himself in and crept up to his room in the almost pitch blackness.

Michael was too tired to pay attention to what the lumpy thing on his bed was as he toed off his sneakers. Stripping down to his tighty whities, he crawled under the sheets and snuggled into the warm spot.

More asleep than awake, Michael figured that it was his boyfriend’s arm winding itself around his waist as he drifted off to sleep.


	21. Cohorts in Crime

“Love you.”

That soft, sleepy murmur from Brian had always been music to his ears. Since that very first night they’d been together, he had loved to hear those words spilling from Brian’s lips. He’d often replay it in his mind over and over again when they were apart, reveling in the sound of it.

But now it only made his heart ache.

Justin still didn’t know how he’d gotten out of Deb and Vic’s, let alone how he’d ended up back home. The last thing he remembered was opening the door to Brian’s bedroom and seeing his boyfriend draped around someone else, the cherished phrase escaping from his smiling lips.

For several endless minutes, Justin had remained standing in the doorway, his world crumbling more and more with each passing moment.

~*~*~

Yawning, Brian snuggled closer to the body in his arms. He didn’t remember Justin joining him, but it was a welcomed surprise. Keeping his eyes shut, Brian enjoyed the warmth his lover offered and brushed a sleepy kiss against the back of his throat.

In the back of his mind he was aware of the fact that the body in his arms was a little rounder than Justin’s, but ignored it as a figment of his sleepy mind.

“Love you,” he sighed before settling down to sleep once again. He was dimly aware of a sound coming from the direction of the door, but shoved it aside in favour of sleeping a little longer.

Snuffling, Brian slid his hand up Justin’s torso in search of his nipple ring. It was Justin who’d pointed out his habit of fiddling with the small metal loop that pierced his right nipple. Before that, Brian hadn’t been aware of it since for the most part he did it late at night or early in the morning when he was on the verge of sleep.

It took a few moments for Brian to realize that there was no pierced nipple and that it wasn’t him just having missed it.

Which meant the person in his bed wasn’t his boyfriend.

“What the fuck?!” Brian shouted as he struggled into a seated position, fighting against the restricting covers. “Who the fuck are you?!”

His bedmate’s fumblings landed him in the floor in a tangle of sheets which left Brian completely exposed. Snatching up a pillow to place over his half-hard cock, Brian wiggled to the edge of the bed and glared down at the other person.

“What are you doing in my bed?” Brian demanded of the still struggling man on the ground.

“Your bed? This is my bed!” the other man insisted, finally freeing himself from the blankets.

“Hate to break it to you, but you were in my bed,” Brian countered, his voice hardening as he glared down at who he assumed was Deb’s son. “My bedroom, too. Take a look around. Do you see any bikers on the walls?”

The other dark-haired teen glanced around, taking in the dark blue walls with the occasional grey pinstiping. As promised, Justin had gone insane when redecorating his room, using all of the knowledge he’d acquired from hours of watching Trading Spaces. Deb had even helped out, sewing up the pillows and drapes that Justin had picked out especially because they matched the pinstripes.

“What happened to my room?” the teen demanded as he struggled to his feet, thankfully clothed in a pair of superhero boxers.

“My boyfriend and Deb redecorated it as a birthday present for me,” Brian grumbled, snatching the blankets off the ground and wrapping it around his waist so that he could stand up as well.

“My mom wouldn’t do that,” the kid insisted. “This is my room and she wouldn’t change it.”

Brian rolled his eyes, sliding off the bed and stalking towards the door which was strangely ajar. He always slept with his door closed, but figured that it was Deb’s son who had left it open. Brian let out a muffled curse as he stepped on something on the ground in the doorway and hobbled out into the hallway.

“Deb!” Brian shouted as he limped towards the stairs, knowing that she would already be awake. “Deb, you have a visitor!”

The waitress appeared at the bottom of the stairs, her eyes going wide when she caught sight of her son who had appeared behind Brian’s shoulder. “MICHAEL! Vic, Michael’s home!”

Turning back towards his room, Brian shoved Michael in the direction of the stairs. “Go say hello to your mother, she’s missed you.”

The short, pudgy kid mumbled something under his breath, but Brian ignored him completely. He was more concerned about getting some more sleep at the moment than finding out why Deb hadn’t informed her son that his room was no longer his own.

Brian had completely forgotten about the thing he’d stepped on earlier until he felt it under his big toe. Lifting his foot, Brian glanced down to see what the object was.

And felt his heart skip a beat when he saw Justin’s ring glinting in the light.

~*~*~

Justin was relieved that no one was home that morning. He didn’t know where they were and didn’t care so long as it meant that he was alone when his world fell apart.

Brian was sleeping with someone else.

The only thing that hurt worse than that was hearing Brian professing his love for that person. Nothing like that was supposed to happen. It was just supposed to be him and Brian, forever. That was what Brian had always promised him. That they would have their forever no matter what.

Forever had turned out to be a lot shorter than he had ever expected.

“I thought that you loved me,” Justin murmured as he stared down at his right hand where, for the first time in five months, there was no ring. “I love you so much.... Why don’t you love me?”

Snuffling, Justin shoved his right hand between two of the cushions on the couch and reached forward for the remote. For as long as he could remember, watching Yellow Submarine had always made him feel better and Justin was hoping that it was still true. He needed something to get his mind off of what had happened that morning.

Before long, the colours and songs of the well watched video had him momentarily distracted. Justin allowed his mind to go blank, not even seeing much of the movie after a while. Emotionally worn out, Justin stretched out on the couch, his eyes fluttering until he drifted off to sleep.

~*~*~

By the time he got to Justin’s, Brian was out of breath and panting. He’d raced there on his bike, barely stopping the entire way. He’d been desperate to get to Justin after finding the Claddagh ring lying on the floor, but couldn’t tell Deb or Vic anything about it. Instead he’d made some excuse about needing to pick something up at a store on Liberty but instead took off to suburbia and Justin.

Except that when he finally got to the blonde’s he was no longer quite so sure. The reason for what had happened was real enough, but that wouldn’t take away what Justin had seen. Brian didn’t even want to think about how he would react if he had been the one to see Justin in bed with someone else.

Dropping the kickstand, Brian remained near his propped up bike for a few moments before slowly making his way to the front door. For the first time ever Brian was hesitant about knocking on the door to the place that he had always considered his safe haven. Before he’d been freed from the horror of living with his parents, that house had been the only place he’d ever really felt safe and at that moment he was terrified about what lay on the other side of the door.

~*~*~

It took a few moments for Justin to register the knocking on the front door. Even then he wasn’t quick to answer it because he knew who was on the other side. According to the clock on the VCR it was just after ten which meant that Brian had probably discovered his ring and had come to make his excuses.

If it had been up to him, Justin wouldn’t have answered the door, but he knew how persistent Brian was. His boyfriend wouldn’t leave until he said his peace. The only problem was that Justin wasn’t sure if he would be able to withstand that meeting.

He would have to, though, because he couldn’t let Brian know just how badly he’d been hurt.

“I’m coming,” Justin mumbled, nowhere near loud enough for Brian to hear, as he shuffled out of the living room and towards the front door. He snaked his fingers through his mussed up hair, pulling on it slightly in an attempt to ground himself. A useless attempt, but one that he made nonetheless.

For several long moments, Justin stared at the oak door that separated him from the man that he still loved beyond all reason.

~*~*~

Brian was about ready to give up on the front door and sneak in through Justin’s window when he heard the deadbolt being unlocked. He backed up a few steps, mentally preparing himself for the confrontation he knew to be coming and hoping that he would be able to withstand the pain he knew he would see in Justin’s eyes.

However, actually knowing that the pain would be there and actually seeing it magnified in the piercing blue eyes were two completely different things.

“Justin--”

“No!” the artist ground out, the pain suddenly turning into a blazing anger. “No. I don’t want to hear it. You’re just going to make up some fucking excuse to cover up the fact that you’ve been fucking some guy!”

“Justin, that’s not--”

This time it was the door slamming in his face that cut off his protests.

~*~*~

The only thing he’d been able to focus on was that Brian was still wearing the cowry shell bracelet. Wearing only a white wifebeater, the bracelet had been plainly visible and Justin had been unable to focus on anything else. It angered him to no end that Brian was going about as though nothing had happened that morning.

As he stalked towards the kitchen, Justin had only one thought on his mind. He was going to make sure that Brian felt the same pain that he did.

~*~*~

“Justin, please,” Brian moaned, standing with his right hand pressed against the door. He pounded lightly, not wanting to draw too much attention to himself from any of Justin’s neighbours. “I just want to talk to you. I swear I can explain it all.”

Brian stumbled forward slightly as the door was yanked open. He started to speak, but was cut off as Justin latched onto his right arm, pulling it forward violently. At first thinking that Justin wanted him inside, Brian was shocked when he saw the scissors in Justin’s hand.

“What are you...? Justin!”

Realization came too late. Before Brian could react, the lower blade of the scissors was slipped between his wrist and the corded band of his cowry shell bracelet.

“Justin?” Brian pleaded, his eyes filling with tears as he gazed down at Justin’s expressionless face.

“You don’t deserve to be wearing this,” Justin hissed, his eyes blazing.

It was the almost imperceptible sensation of the bracelet falling away from his wrist that told Brian that the two blades of the scissors had been brought together. Brian held Justin’s gaze for a moment before looking down at his wrist to visually confirm what he had felt.

“Fuck you, Brian,” Justin ground out, slamming the door shut a second time.

~*~*~

Trembling, Justin staggered away from the door and up the stairs, the cowry shell bracelet clutched tightly in his left hand. He’d thought that he would feel better after taking it away from the soccer player. That was the way it was supposed to work. He took back the bracelet which meant that it wasn’t supposed to hurt anymore.

Except it did.

If anything it hurt even worse than it had before.

~*~*~

Brian wasn’t sure how long he remained standing on the Taylor’s front porch, his eyes locked on his naked wrist. Never in a million years had he thought that it would be gone from his wrist except when he took it off to shower. The only other time it was supposed to be removed was when it was transferred to his left wrist when he and Justin eventually got married.

But it was never supposed to be gone.

Stumbling away from the door, Brian bypassed his bike as he slowly made his way down the driveway. Brian wasn’t sure where he was going except, he just kept moving in hopes that if he went far enough it would no longer feel as though his heart had been ripped from his chest.

~*~*~

By the time his parents came home around two o’clock, Justin had managed to calm himself down enough so that they had no idea that anything was wrong. Around noon he’d gone out to get a CD from Rigby and was shocked to discover Brian’s bike still in the driveway. Instinctually, Justin had begun to panic, worried that something had happened to Brian.

Pushing that aside, Justin had simply stored the bike in the garage so that his parents wouldn’t notice it right away. He didn’t need them asking questions that he wasn’t prepared to answer.

“Is Brian working tonight?” Jennifer asked as she handed Justin four plates to set on the table.

Justin furrowed his brows, but nonetheless took hold of the plates. “What makes you think Brian’s working? Maybe I just want to have dinner at home tonight. I figured you’d be thrilled.”

“I am,” Jennifer confirmed, already turning away from him and going back to the stove. “I’m just a little shocked.”

“You and me both,” Justin mumbled under his breath, blinking away the tears he could feel prickling at the corners of his eyes.

Justin nearly dropped the plates when he felt his mother’s hand on his arm. He hadn’t heard her come up behind him and was barely able to keep hold of the plates.

“Sweetheart, are you all right?” Jennifer inquired, reaching a hand up to cup his cheek.

Biting the inside of his cheek, Justin nodded his head. “Yeah, I’m fine. I’ve got a bit of a headache, but it’s no big deal.”

“Why don’t you go lie down, sweetheart,” his mother suggested with a soft smile. “I’ll heat some Bagel Bites up for you when you wake up.”

Under normal circumstances, Justin would have been all for having the mini frozen pizzas in place of one of his mother’s casseroles. Justin wasn’t so sure that he’d be able to stomach what had once been one of his favourite foods.

“I think I’ll do that,” Justin mumbled, handing the plates back to Jennifer before retreating back to the safety of his room where he would no longer have to pretend to be all right.

~*~*~

The backroom of Babylon was a place that Brian had never thought to venture into. Not even with Justin. In the time they’d been going to Babylon, the pair had heard all about the infamous backroom. While they had never actually said anything about it, both of them had unconsciously decided against going back there when they could have easily gone back to Deb’s.

He’d tried calling Justin a few times during the course of the day only to have his boyfriend hang up on him each time. So Brian decided to drown his pain in something completely different. The time tested method had always seemed to work for his sister and father to an extent and Brian wanted nothing more than to be free of the consuming pain that had been engulfing him all day.

“Hey, kid, feel like sitting on my nine inch cock?” a gorgeous, raven-haired man murmured as he appeared in Brian’s line of sight.

Brian made a show of looking the guy over from head to toe, a tongue in cheek smirk twisting his expression. Fortified by alcohol, Brian made a show of stripping out of his white wifebeater. “Only after you suck on mine.”

The guy slipped his index fingers into Brian’s beltloops and guided the soccer player towards him so that their chests were pressed together. “Oh I plan on it, kid. I’m gonna enjoy every inch of your body.”

“And I’ll let you.”


	22. Cohorts in Crime

Brian moaned as the front of his shirt was shoved up high on his chest. It was held in place by the nameless faceless body that was currently sucking his nipples into hard peaks. He dropped back against the wall, his body writhing under the exquisite pleasure. At that moment the only thing that mattered to him were the sensations that consumed him. It was the only thing that he was aware of. 

Until he glanced down and saw a dark head resting against his abdomen instead of a blonde one. 

“God, you’re so fucking hot,” the man moaned against Brian’s chest. “I’m gonna enjoy fucking you.” 

The warm breath made him tremble, but no longer with pleasure. Brian felt sick. He felt like a piece of meat that was being pawed at and abused. 

“No....” Brian whimpered, weakly pushing at the man’s shoulders. “Please, no....” 

“You know you want it,” he accused, reaching a hand down to fumble with the zipper of Brian’s jeans. “You were begging for it out there, kid.” 

Brian silently cursed himself for having taken the pill the guy gave him. He didn’t know what it was that he had taken except that it was currently wreaking havoc on his system. His heart was beating rapidly and his vision was getting blurry around the edges, but at the same time Brian was hyper aware of what was happening to his body. 

When he felt the unfamiliar hand on his dick Brian nearly threw up what little food he had eaten during the day. The mouth was still distracted with his nipples, but was beginning to move down his chest towards his stomach. 

“Mmmmm... you’re a big boy,” the man sneered as he gave Brian’s cock a hash pull. 

“Justin....” Brian called out, his eyes darting about in search of his boyfriend. Justin had always been there when he needed him, rescuing him. 

But Justin wasn’t there and Brian knew that he wouldn’t be there. 

Calling on whatever reserves he had left, Brian shoved as hard as he could manage at the shoulders of the man crouched down in front of him. While it wasn’t enough to knock the man to the ground, it did throw him off balance. Using that to his advantage, Brian gave him another shove and stumbled away from the wall. It took a great deal of effort for Brian to keep himself oriented while at the same time fastening his pants. 

Someone latched onto Brian’s left arm from behind, attempting to pull him back. Reacting instinctively, Brian swung around, gauging his assailant’s height in a split second and punching him squarely in the center of the face with as much strength as he could muster. 

~*~*~ 

For the past hour, Justin had been staring at the glow-in-the-dark stars on his ceiling, tracing absent patterns in his mind. At the same time he’d been trying to avoid the uneasy feeling he had in the pit of his stomach. There was nothing he could do about it anyway. Brian was the one who had set everything in motion so he could deal with the consequences on his own. Justin refused to feel sorry for him. 

Of course, Justin had no qualms about wallowing in his own sorrow. He was allowed to because he was the one who’d had his life yanked out from under him. Until that morning, Justin had fully believed that he and Brian would be together forever. Justin still didn’t know what had happened to change how Brian felt about them. 

What was more, Justin was furious with his lover for putting him at risk. The only reason they’d never used a condom during sex was because neither one of them had ever slept with anyone else. But if Brian had been fucking someone else.... 

“He wouldn’t do that to me,” Justin sniffled, wiping the tears from his cheeks. 

There was no doubt in Justin’s mind about that. Brian would never do anything to hurt him or to put him at risk. No matter what, that would never change. 

~*~*~ 

Almost as soon as he stumbled into the alley behind the dance club, Brian threw up most of the alcohol that he’d consumed in the past few hours. Having punched the trick in the face, Brian had managed to lose track of him on the crowded dance floor. He was shaking so much that he was having a hard time keeping to his feet. 

“Hey, kid, are you okay?” 

Not having breath enough to speak at that point, Brian nodded his head weakly. He knew that Deb was working that night and staggered in the direction of the Liberty Diner. More than anything, Brian wanted to go to Justin, except that he couldn’t. Justin had been taken away from him because of Deb’s brat kid. Brian didn’t blame her for it because she hadn’t even known that Michael was going to make the trip from New York. 

By the time he got to the street Brian had composed himself enough so that his trek from Babylon to the Liberty Diner didn’t earn him any concerned stares. There was more than enough lustful ones and Brian ignored them just as he always had in the past. And, for the first time ever, Brian was relieved when he saw Deb’s rainbow-coloured vest as he entered the diner. 

~*~*~ 

Justin groaned out loud when his cellphone began to ring just before eleven. Without even looking he knew that it was Brian who was calling. The soccer player had been calling throughout the day and each time Justin had simply hung up on him, not wanting to hear any excuses that Brian may have come up with. 

When he saw the number for the diner appearing on the screen, Justin was tempted to ignore the call and shut off his phone. Chances were Brian was at the diner and had talked Debbie into using the phone because he didn’t have any quarters for the payphone. For some reason, though, Justin didn’t turn off his phone. Even while he was cursing himself for being such an idiot, Justin’s finger slid from the power button to the talk one. He then held the phone in front of him for another long moment before bringing it to his ear. 

“Yeah?” 

“Oh thank God, Sunshine,” Debbie sighed into the phone, probably crossing herself for good measure. “I was beginning to think that you weren’t going to answer the phone.” 

“What’s wrong?” Justin demanded, a sudden panic filling him. 

Even while he spoke, Justin was off his bed and searching for his sneakers. Something was wrong and-- 

“--just sitting there like a zombie. Won’t move or say anything,” Debbie sobbed from the other end. 

“I’ll be there as soon as I can, Debbie,” Justin assured the frantic woman. “Just... just keep him safe until I get there.” 

“You know I will, Sunshine,” the waitress sniffled. 

After promising once again that he would be there as soon as possible, Justin ended the conversation, slipping the phone into his side pocket at the same time he shoved his wallet into his back pocket with his other hand. Seconds later he was jamming his right foot into one sneaker while he scanned the clutter on his floor for the left one. 

In that moment, Justin didn’t care what had happened that morning. All he knew was that something had happened to Brian and, in the end, that was everything. 

As he raced out of his bedroom, Justin caught sight of the cowry shell bracelet he had cut from Brian’s wrist sitting innocently on one of his dressers. Without giving the action much thought, he snatched it up as he passed and slipped it into his pocket. 

~*~*~ 

“.... I was actually at Woodstock. That was a _weird_ gig.... I fed off a flower person and spent the next six hours... watching my hand. Move.” 

Brian wanted to be paying attention to the old episode of Slutty the Vampire Whore (a term Justin was quite fond of using) like he and Justin always did, but he couldn’t make himself focus on it enough. They really only ever paid attention to the season 2 episodes, one in the next season, another in the first season of Angel and several flashback episodes to watch the interaction between the two vampires. Justin was convinced that Angel and Spike had been in love with each other when they were both evil and since they both had souls that it was only a matter of time before they got back together. It was an amusing fantasy that Brian did nothing to discredit-- unless he was bored --and was waiting for the day when Justin asked if they could play vampires. 

Had been waiting. 

There wouldn’t be any more games. No more tortured rock stars. No more superhero and sidekick. Bank robber and sheriff. Artist and model. Chef and assistant. Doctor and patient. Roman soldier and Celtic slave. Flavoured condom taster and test subject.... 

It was all over. 

Not that Brian should have expected any less. He wasn’t supposed to be happy. It just didn’t work that way. He was a worthless piece of shit just like his father had always told him. Brian didn’t know why he’d tried to deny it. He should have just made sure that Justin stayed away after he’d ended up in the hospital. It would have been better because if he’d just made Justin go away then it wouldn’t have hurt the blonde as much as what had happened that morning. 

But he was selfish. He loved Justin and didn’t want to give him up. Brian didn’t think that he was physically able to give Justin up which was why it was a good thing that the blonde had severed all ties between them. Justin could go on with his life and be happy like he was supposed to be. 

Swallowing back a sob, Brian continued to stare at the Claddagh ring which he had slipped onto his middle finger after finding it on the floor in his bedroom. The heart was still facing in because, no matter what happened or how much time passed, Brian knew that he would never stop loving Justin. 

He would love Justin forever. 

~*~*~ 

Debbie was pacing back and forth in front of the door to the breakroom when Justin got to the diner. She was chewing nervously on the end of her pen and let out a huge sigh of relief when she saw Justin. 

“I don’t know what the hell happened between the two of you, but you get in there and fix him!” Debbie ordered, pointing at him with the end of the pen. 

“Debbie--” 

“Don’t you ‘Debbie’ me, Sunshine. Fix your boyfriend.” 

Stepping around the waitress, Justin pushed open the door the breakroom and stuck his head inside. Whatever anger he had felt towards Brian before died when he saw his boyfriend curled up into the one of the corners of the couch. Brian didn’t seem to be aware of anything around him and was simply staring at his hands which were resting on top of his drawn-up knees. 

Justin crossed the room in several long strides and sat down next to Brian’s feet. He felt his heart clench when Brian didn’t react. Then his heart broke when he saw that Brian was wearing his ring and that it was what he was staring at. 

“Bri,” Justin whispered, reaching a hand up to stroke Brian’s cheek. “Are you in there, babe?” 

“You’re not really here,” Brian mumbled, turning his head towards the TV. 

Justin glanced at the TV over his shoulder, a small smile appearing on his face when he recognized the old episode of Slutty the Vampire Whore. “You know, it doesn’t actually show where Xander’s head goes when Angel and Spike hug. And since his head is somewhere around Angel’s waist....” 

There was no reaction to what he had said on Brian’s face. Nothing for several endless seconds until a tear slid down Brian’s cheek. 

~*~*~ 

Brian couldn’t understand why Justin was making it so hard. He had been doing his best to ignore Justin’s presence because he knew that he wouldn’t be allowed to keep Justin when it was all over. Deb had probably just coerced him into coming to the diner to fix him. Except it wasn’t Justin’s responsibility any more. 

“Look at me, Bri,” Justin whispered, lightly stroking his cheek with the back of his fingers. “Hey, babe, let me see your eyes. Please?” 

Squeezing his eyes shut tight, Brian slowly turned his head back in the direction that his body was facing. “You don’t have to worry about me, Justin. I’m not your responsibility anymore, you’ve made that perfectly clear.” 

“Brian--” 

“Maybe you should just go,” Brian interrupted him, his voice cracking slightly towards the end. “I know you don’t want to be here and....” 

“You’ve tried that before,” Justin said quietly, his hand still on Brian’s cheek. “It didn’t work then and it won’t work now.... Something happened, Bri, and it really freaked you out and--” 

“You should be proud, Justin,” Brian sneered, unable to take Justin’s caring demeanor any longer. “Tonight I almost lived up to your lowest opinion of me. I had every intention of letting some guy suck me off in the backroom at Babylon. I was going to let him fuck me after that, too. If you’d think that I would actually sleep with Deb’s son.... It doesn’t matter. You go back to your perfect life and I’ll go back to do doing what I’ve always done and survive.” 

~*~*~ 

It felt like someone had punched him in the gut. He felt like such an asshole for everything that he had put him and Brian through that day. If he had just talked to Brian that morning instead of flying off the handle.... 

“I’m so fucking sorry,” Justin whimpered, scrubbing his free hand over his face. His other hand was still where it had always been, lightly holding Brian’s cheek. “I just... I saw someone else in bed with you and reacted. I couldn’t think. My world was just gone and--” 

“It wasn’t just gone. You just threw it away,” Brian countered, his voice lacking any sign of emotion. “I don’t blame you, though. I had nine months that were better than any I can remember, more than I ever thought I’d get so I don’t regret it.” 

Just like that it seemed to all be over. Brian turned his head away, staring at the wall rather than the TV. Justin felt his heart break at the sight, knowing that he was responsible for it. He had sent their world spinning on its head because he hadn’t trusted Brian. The first sign of trouble and he’d bolted, simple as that. 

~*~*~ 

All that Brian wanted to do was sleep. The day had lasted forever and had been one of the worse that Brian could remember. It was one thing to know that his parents hadn’t wanted him, but he’d always thought Justin was different. 

“Come here, Bri,” Justin murmured, reaching out towards him. “I’ll take you home.” 

Even though he wanted to resist, Brian was too exhausted to pull away from the temptation of Justin’s arms. Justin wrapped one arm around his upper body and eased him off the couch. He’d been curled up for too long and his legs felt a little wobbly, but, as always, Justin made sure that he didn’t fall. 

“You don’t have to baby-sit me,” Brian protested weakly as Justin guided him towards the back door that led out into the alley. 

“It’s called TLC and you’re in desperate need of it right now,” Justin informed him, rubbing his free hand over Brian’s stomach. “Now let me take care of you.” 

~*~*~ 

Almost as soon as he’d dumped him on the bed, Brian had passed out. He’d stripped Brian down to his boxers and tucked him in, sitting down beside him and tracing his lover’s features with the tips of his fingertips. Justin felt awful for everything he’d put Brian through that day and wished that he could change it. When they’d arrived at the house and he’d seen Michael sulking in the living room, Justin felt like pond scum because there was no doubt in his mind that it was the same person he’d seen in bed with Brian that morning. And there was no way that Brian would ever be attracted to the short pudgy kid with the dark-rimmed glasses. 

Justin wasn’t sure how long he spent sitting next to Brian, listening to the slight wheeze of his steady breathing. 

“Michael decided to surprise Deb. Arrived at three in the morning and immediately went up to what he assumed was his bedroom. He never turned the lights on and never realized that his bedroom wasn’t his anymore,” Vic said quietly from the doorway. 

Justin sighed loudly, scrubbing his hands over his face. “I fucked up. I immediately assumed the worst and hurt Brian in the process.... What the fuck do I do, Vic? How do I fix this?” 

“That I don’t know,” Vic sighed. “That’s something you’re going to have to figure out for yourself.” 

~*~*~ 

Brian woke up with a splitting headache and immediately regretted all of the alcohol he’d drunk the night before. He reached up, intending to pull a pillow over his head to block out the sun that was streaming in through the windows, and was surprised when his hand encountered a piece of paper. Rolling onto his back, Brian held the paper up in front of his face, blinking until he brought his eyes into focus. 

_Brian, I know that what I did yesterday hurt you. I should have let you explain what happened before I attempted to sever all ties between us. I can’t change anything that happened, but I can try to fix it, if you’ll let me._

In somewhat of a daze, Brian dropped his hand back down to his pillow. He started somewhat when he felt something else on his pillow. Turning his head to the side, Brian was shocked to see his cowry shell bracelet, completely intact if a little worse for wear.


	23. Cohorts in Crime

Normally Justin would go pick up Brian so that they could go out to breakfast at the diner like they did every Saturday. Except this Saturday was like the Saturday before it which meant that he was alone because he had jumped to conclusions and thrown away everything he had with Brian. Justin hated himself for what he’d done and each time he saw the pained expression on Brian’s face whenever they crossed paths he felt even worse.

Justin desperately wanted to say something to Brian, find some words to make the pain less, but he didn’t know what to say or what to do to fix what had happened. He wasn’t even completely sure that he _could_ fix it. Trust was a very big thing to Brian. The most important thing, really. And he hadn’t trusted him.

“I so sorry, Bri,” Justin whispered to a picture of him and his boyfriend that he had been staring at for the past half hour. 

The picture had been taken on Brian’s birthday. Debbie and Vic had insisted on a family party before he and Brian went out to celebrate on their own. That party had involved a barbecue in the backyard, Vic and Brian remaining outside while Justin and Debbie made sure that everything was all set in Brian’s room. For the week before, the soccer player had been sleeping on the fold out couch in the living room while Justin and Debbie redecorated his room. After a dinner of hot dogs, hamburgers, potato salad and other barbecue-type foods, Justin had blindfolded his lover and guided him upstairs to his bedroom with Debbie and Vic trailing behind them.

Debbie had taken the picture as Brian pulled Justin into an intense kiss. Both teens were smiling into the kiss, their arms wrapped tightly around each other.

The picture wasn’t even three months old, but it could have very well been taken in another lifetime.

There was a knock at the door, then his mother poked her head into his room. “Sweety, are you all right?”

“Fine, mom,” Justin mumbled, setting the picture down on the bedspread as he glanced over at his mother. 

“You know, I haven’t seen Brian in a while,” she said casually, stepping into the room and crossing over to Justin’s bed.

The blonde snorted in amusement. “I figured that you would be thrilled to see less of my boyfriend. I know Dad is. He’s never hidden the fact that he hates Brian.”

“Your father doesn’t hate Brian,” Jennifer tried to protest, a difficult task in the face of her son’s disbelieving smirk. “He just doesn’t like what Brian represents. If this was six or seven years in the future and Brian was Molly’s boyfriend your dad would probably like him.”

“Yeah, well it’s not seven years in the future and I’m the one that loves Brian,” Justin informed her, pushing himself up into a seated position. Sighing loudly, Justin scrubbed his hands over his face. “Look, can you just leave me alone, mom? I just want to wallow in peace.”

~*~*~

“You look like shit, kiddo,” Deb gasped as Brian stumbled into the house around noon. “Don’t you think you’re pushing yourself a little much?”

“I’m fine, Deb,” the teen mumbled, bypassing her as he made his way towards the stairs.

“The fuck you are,” Deb shouted after him.

Brian hoped that she would leave it at that, but wasn’t completely naive. Deb never left things alone when she got her hooks in. So Brian wasn’t the least bit surprised when she followed him up the stairs.

“Deb, I just want to sleep,” Brian groaned, yanking his shirt over his head as he entered his room. “Can we please save this lecture till after I’ve had the requisite six hours of sleep?”

“I would do that, but after those six hours you’ll just be going back to work,” Deb pointed out as she picked up the shirt Brian had just tossed down onto the ground. “Now I’ve kept my peace all week, but you’re going to fall down from exhaustion soon. You need to slow down, honey. I understand that you’re upset about what happened between you and Justin, but--”

“You have _no_ idea what happened between Justin and I!” Brian hissed, spinning around and glaring at Deb, uncaring of the tears he could feel pooling in the corners of his eyes. “You don’t know what it’s like to have everything you’ve ever wanted just thrown away like it was nothing! You’ve never been told that you aren’t good enough! And you’ve never had the one person you let yourself love throw you away because he automatically thought the worst! That you were worthless!”

“Oh, sweetheart,” Deb cooed, reaching towards him.

Brian evaded her grasp, stumbling through his tears so that he fell on the bed. He lay stretched out on his back, covering his face with his hands. “Just go, Deb. Please? I promise I’ll call in sick tonight if you just leave me alone.”

“I’m going to make the call myself,” Deb informed him as she helped him move so that he was lying lengthwise on his bed. “And no more double shifts. I don’t care if the shelves at Roger’s go empty, you aren’t stocking shelves for eighteen hours a day.”

“‘Kay,” Brian mumbled around a yawn, snuggling his face into his pillow.

Half asleep, Brian felt Deb stroke her fingers through his hair. Normally he would have brushed her off, but he didn’t have the energy. And on top of that, he was secretly craving the contact. The comfort. More than anything, what Brian wanted was Justin. He wanted his lover, but he couldn’t trust Justin, not after what had happened. Brian didn’t think that he’d ever be able to trust Justin again or make himself vulnerable to the other teen.

But that didn’t mean he would crave Justin any less.

~*~*~

Justin stood at the end of the cereal aisle at Roger’s Groceries watching Brian as he stocked the shelves. He’d spent the last two nights at the grocery store watching Brian and trying to work up the nerve to talk to him. It had been about a week and a half since they’d had an actual conversation and he wanted to see how Brian was doing.

“If you wanna talk, Justin, say something. The whole stalker thing doesn’t suit you,” Brian said without looking up from what he was doing.

“It’s not a stalker thing,” Justin mumbled as he stepped completely into the aisle.

Still refusing to meet his eyes, Brian smirked slightly. “Is that so? Then would you care to explain why you’ve spent the last two nights watching my every move?”

“Because I’ve been worried about you,” Justin said just loud enough for Brian to hear.

“It’s not your job to worry about me anymore,” Brian said quietly as he turned around to cut open another cardboard box loaded with six boxes of Captain Crunch.

“It was never a job!” Justin protested hotly, bolting across the space that separated them. “I worry about you because I love you. Always have always will.”

“That’s a nice sentiment, but we both know that you don’t mean it,” Brian murmured as he turned back towards Justin. The blonde was stunned by the almost empty look he saw in his lover’s usually expressive hazel eyes.

“I wouldn’t say it if I didn’t mean it,” Justin insisted, watching helplessly as Brian went back to his work.

“And once upon a time I would have believed that. But not anymore.”

The finality of Brian’s voice sent a shiver down his spine. He sounded almost like he was dead inside and Justin hated that he was the reason for it. He’d never wanted to bring Brian to his knees like that. Not after everything he had been through already.

~*~*~

Even though he had expected it, Brian still felt hurt that Justin gave up so easily. He’d thought that he meant a little more to Justin than that. Justin had always been the more vocal one. The one who fought tooth and nails for what he believed in. Brian was just going to have to come to terms with the fact that that no longer included him.

“Excuse me. Everyone. Could I please have your attention?”

Brian tensed when he heard Justin’s voice over the store PA system. Knowing Justin it was impossible to tell what the artist had planned and Brian wasn’t entirely sure that he wanted to know what Justin was up to.

“Um, hi. My name is Justin Taylor. Now I know that probably none of you know who I am, but that’s okay because someone in here does and he’s the one that I care about,” Justin informed the store full of people. “I won’t embarrass him by saying his name, but I love him. More than anything.... But I betrayed that....”

While Justin was talking, Brian moved to the end of the aisle so that he could get a better view of the cash registers at the front of the store. Almost immediately his eyes locked with Justin’s who was standing at the first register. Since the store was just off Liberty Avenue neither of them had to worry about anything bad resulting from whatever Justin would reveal.

“You see, he’s the first guy I’ve ever loved. Love. Present tense. Because I do love him, even if he doesn’t really believe it anymore. And I could make excuses for what I did, but none of that will change what actually happened. The fact of the matter is that I didn’t trust him, didn’t believe in him, and for the rest of my life I’m going to regret that.... I know that he has no reason to trust anything I have to say, but I hope he knows that I truly mean it when I say that I’m sorry and that I’m never going to stop trying to make up for it.”

Justin offered him a slight, lop-sided smile which Brian automatically returned before he could stop himself. Several people turned to see where exactly Justin was looking, but Brian ignored them completely, choosing instead to focus on Justin.

“And now back to your regularly scheduled program.”

~*~*~

Knowing that it would be better to leave Brian alone for the time being, Justin left the grocery store after he gave his little speech. For the life of him Justin didn’t even know why he’d even done it except that it was the only way he could think of to get Justin to listen to him.

He was just nearing the jeep when his cell phone started ringing. Refusing to get his hopes up, Justin did his best not to think that it was Brian calling him as he fumbled in his pocket for his cell.

It made it that much better when he glanced at the screen and saw “Roger’s Groceries.”

“You’re insane, Sunshine,” Brian murmured, his tone indicating that he was smiling. “Completely and irretrievably insane.”

“I had to get you to listen to me,” Justin whispered, turning around so that he could see the front of the store and hopefully Brian as well. “I honestly meant everything I said in there and I know that it’s nowhere near enough to make up for what I did, but I was kinda hoping that it would be a start.”

There was a slight pause and then, “Well you have my attention, Justin.”

~*~*~

As was always the case, both Deb and Vic were asleep when Brian got home from work. Since his exhausted rant four days before, Brian had cut down on his hours so it he only worked normal nine hour shifts rather than twice as long. Still, it was close to three in the morning when he got home from the twenty-four hour grocery store.

Brian quietly made his way up the stairs, not wanting to wake his two surrogate parents up with his late arrival. Every few seconds Brian could feel a smile tugging at the corners of his lips. There was no stopping it. The same thing had been happening for the past six hours, ever since Justin had made his declaration over the speakers at the store.

That smile was fighting onto his face once again as Brian entered his room. He shut the door behind him and began stripping out of his clothes, all the while heading towards the nightstand on the right side of his bed. Stripped naked by the time he reached it, Brian stood before the nightstand for several long minutes, unsure whether or not he should open the small drawer on the front of it.

Crossing his left arm over his chest to absently clutch at the right side of his throat, Brian used his free hand to pull open the drawer. Inside it, sitting atop the rest of the clutter that filled the small space was the cowry shell bracelet Justin had given him for Valentine’s Day. While he didn’t feel comfortable wearing that yet, as he turned his hand over so that it was resting over the lip of the drawer, Brian focused his attention on the ring that he was wearing. Justin’s ring. Brian hadn’t taken it off since he’d first found it on the floor of his room nearly two weeks before.

Pursing his lips, Brian slipped his hand into the drawer and wrapped his fingers around the bracelet. After several long moments, Brian let out a loud sigh and removed the bracelet completely.

Brian wanted to be able to put it back on. He felt naked when he wasn’t wearing the cowry shell bracelet.

Before he could talk himself into it, Brian dropped the bracelet back into the drawer, shoving it closed with his knee. Brian wasn’t ready to open himself up completely to Justin yet. He knew that Justin believed everything he’d said, but that didn’t automatically fix things between them because events couldn’t simply be erased.

He still didn’t know if he could let himself trust Justin again.

~*~*~

All day long, Justin had wanted to call Brian, wanting to talk to his lover like he would have before their lives had been completely thrown into upheaval. The only thing that stopped him was his own conscience. He was the one who had messed with their lives so he couldn’t force Brian to accept his apologies.

So it was a complete shock to him when Brian wandered into the diner around noon. It was the first time that Brian had come to the diner since the implosion of their relationship.

“Brian, hey,” Justin greeted, unable to stop the wide smile that spread across his face.

Brian’s answering smile was slight, but noticeable. “Hey.”

While he finished clearing off the table near the front window, Justin watched Brian out of the corner of his eye. The brunette took a seat at the counter, idly turning the menu over in his hands even though both already knew what Brian was going to order because his order never changed. 

Double cheeseburger, fries and a chocolate shake.

“Do you want your usual?” Justin asked casually as he passed by Brian on his way to the kitchen to get rid of his dish bin.

“Actually, I thought I’d try something different.”

~*~*~

Brian could easily see the wheels turning in Justin’s head as he gave his order. A creature of habit, Brian had always ordered the same thing with the exception of his usual breakfast order. For the first time, however, Brian didn’t feel like having the double cheeseburger. In its place he ordered a turkey club with no mayo.

“You sure that’s what you want?” Justin questioned, staring intently at him.

“It’s what I ordered,” Brian shrugged absently. He turned away from Justin and began fiddling with the packets of sugar in the small container in front of him.

“Sure.... I’ll, um... I’ll get the milkshake after I give your order.”

Brian nodded his head, but didn’t take his attention away from the small packets of sugar and Sweet n’ Low. He wasn’t entirely sure why he’d gone to the diner that afternoon. The last time that he’d been to the diner was nearly two weeks before, the night of his first, and only, foray into the backroom of Babylon.

After what had happened the night before, Brian decided to see whether he would be okay at the diner with Justin around. It was an experiment that Brian knew he could easily abandon by simply changing his order to take-out.

“Chocolate milkshake with extra chocolate,” Justin murmured as he set the large glass down in front of him.

“Thanks,” Brian said quietly, raising his eyes from the sugars and giving his lover a tight smile.

Justin smiled broadly once again, holding Brian’s gaze for several moments before leaving to refill someone’s coffee. Brian watched him out of the corner of his eye, trying to find some clue as to what he should do about what was happening between him and Justin. At present, all that Brian thought he’d be able to stand at that moment was to be friends like when they’d first met.

“I was thinking about going to see American Wedding tonight,” Brian said as Justin came over with his lunch. “Did you want to come with me?”


	24. Cohorts in Crime

It had come full circle. One full year had passed since he and Justin had crashed into each other on the first day of school. It almost could have been that day all over again because Brian felt just as uneasy. Even more than the year before, if he was honest with himself, and not just because he and Justin were still trying to figure out how to act around each other.

The reason Brian felt so nervous was because in about two weeks he had testify in front of a courtroom about the things that had gone on in his house for the past seventeen years.

The trial itself wasn’t a surprise to Brian. He’d always known that there would be a trial after that last time his father had beaten him, but in the beginning he’d assumed that he’d have Justin there as more than just a witness for the prosecution. Brian was slowly beginning to realize that he was going to have to go through it all on his own. Brian could only hope that Justin would be present for his testimony so that he could focus on the blonde while he remembered the worst of it.

“Kinney! Hey man!” Brad, the goalie on the soccer team cried as he rounded a corner near Brian’s locker. “Feels like we never left, huh?”

Slamming the door shut, Brian stared at it for several long moments before turning to his teammate. “Feels like a lifetime,” he sighed, scrubbing his fingers through his hair. “But another short lifetime and it will be over.”

“That’s one way to look at it,” Brad shrugged, glancing around almost absently. “Hey, I was thinking about trying out for football, wanna come with? It would piss the hell outta Hobbs to have to put up with you there.”

Brian grinned broadly at the idea. “That sounds like fun.”

“I’ll catch you after school then,” Brad said, heading off down the corridor. “Give those football jocks hell!”

Snorting at the other teen’s antics, Brian watched him until he rounded the corner then automatically began to move to the area between his and Justin’s homerooms like he had almost every morning the previous year. He hadn’t even realized what he was doing until he found himself face to face with Justin.

~*~*~

At first Justin had thought he was being foolish to think that Brian would actually go to their usual meeting place. True they were talking, and had come to an uneasy truce, but Justin knew that that friendship was strained at best. So when he saw Brian heading towards him he allowed himself to hope a little bit because if Brian was heading towards the same spot where they had met each other all last year then maybe he hadn’t fucked things up as bad as he’d feared.

Until he saw the look of absolute panic in Brian’s eyes. Justin had seen that look only a few times and Justin had hoped that he would never be the one to put it there. He’d caused Brian enough pain, but for there to be fear.... That was the last thing Justin had ever wanted.

“I feel like I should go barreling around a corner and crash into you,” Justin said quietly as Brian approached him.

The other teen smirked, idly shifting his backpack on his shoulder. “I think I can survive without being impacted with your thick skull.”

“I don’t have a thick skull,” Justin scowled, lightly swatting at his former lover’s arm. “My head is perfectly proportioned.”

“I couldn’t imagine another head on your body,” Brian agreed, reaching over to run his fingers through the longer strands of blonde hair that hung down to Justin’s collar.

The bell rang then, interrupting any conversation that would have followed. Brian offered Justin a slight smile before turning and heading in the direction of his homeroom. Justin stared after the soccer player until he rounded a corner and disappeared from sight. He stood there for several seconds even after Brian had disappeared before he moved towards his own homeroom.

“Watch it, faggot,” Chris Hobbs snarled as he slammed into Justin’s shoulder, sending him spinning and crashing to the floor.

“Asshole!” Justin shouted after him. 

Without thinking, he reached into his letterbag and snatched out an apple which he immediately threw at Chris. He hadn’t expected it to make contact so when it connected with the back of the football player’s head, Justin was genuinely surprised. 

“Oh shit.”

“You little bastard!” Chris growled as he spun around, a hand to the back of his head.

Cursing once again, Justin scrambled to his feet and met Chris’ glare head on. “What’s the matter, Hobbs? Didn’t expect anyone to ever stand up to you?”

Even as Chris began stalking towards him, Justin held his ground.

~*~*~

Brian nearly dropped his bottle of pop when he caught sight of Justin as he was heading to his first period chemistry class. Tossing it into a nearby garbage can, he rushed across down the hallway towards Justin’s locker. 

“What the fuck happened to you?” Brian demanded, carefully cupping Justin’s chin and turning his face towards him. He winced when he saw the damage done to Justin’s face; his left eye was black and swollen shut and he had a split lip. “Who the--”

“Don’t worry about it,” Justin mumbled, offering Brian a crooked smile.

“‘Don’t worry about it?’” Brian cried incredulously. “Have you seen your face, Justin? I’m gonna kick the ass of whoever decided to use you for a punching bag!”

Justin reached up, holding Brian’s cheeks between his palms. “No, you’re not. It’s my fault. I did this. Not the actual punching of my face, but I started it. So you don’t need to do anything. I’ll survive my suspension.”

That sent Brian over the edge, his temper soaring. “They suspended you? What the fuck for? Who did you get in a fight with?”

“Brian, just leave it a--”

“At least tell me that Hobbs was suspended,” Brian insisted, pursing his lips.

Justin’s eyes went wide. “How did you know it was Hobbs?”

“Because you just told me,” Brian smirked, leaning his shoulder against the locker next to Justin’s. He let out a sigh, scrubbing a hand over his face. “What the hell happened, Justin? At least tell me that.”

“He knocked me down. I threw an apple at him. It hit him in the head. He punched. I punched. There was some basic scuffling then someone pulled us apart. Oh yeah, and I got suspended for three days.”

“What happened to Hobbs?” Brian questioned, already knowing what answer he would get.

“Promise me that you’ll behave, Bri,” Justin pleaded, sufficiently answering the question.

Brian shook his head and flashed Justin a patented tongue in cheek smirk. “I can’t do that, Justin. That guy is a prick and needs to be brought down.”

~*~*~

“Look, Bri, I’ve got to go home now and try to figure out an excuse that will keep my dad from killing me,” Justin mumbled as he shut his locker. “Promise me that you’ll behave. I don’t want to have to worry about you. I do that enough.”

The broad smile that appeared on only made Justin worry further. It was the same smile that he’d seen just before Brian had cannonballed into the quarry pool. He knew instinctively that Brian was going to do something. There was no question in his mind about that fact.

The only problem was that he couldn’t make sure that didn’t happen. He had to be off school property as soon as he got what he needed to from his locker. Chris, on the other hand, got to carry on with his day as though nothing had happened... so long as he didn’t look in any reflective surfaces. If he did he’d end up seeing the massive bruise on his left cheek. The reason principal Bower gave for not suspending Hobbs was that Justin was the one to insight the fight when he threw the apple at the other teen, completely ignoring that the only reason Justin had done that was because Chris knocked him down.

“Hey, can you keep track of what happens in photography and modern history for me?” Justin asked as Brian started to move away.

“Yeah. Sure,” Brian said, almost absently, and Justin knew that he’d have to call Brian later to remind the other teen of his request. He stopped a few feet away then spun around once again. “Oh yeah, me and a few of the guys from the soccer team decided to try out for football so I don’t know when I’ll call you.”

Justin nodded his head without thinking until he realized just what it was Brian had said. “Wait a minute, Bri! You’re trying out for _football_? Football?! The same sport that Chris fucking Hobbs plays?”

“So?” Brian shrugged, slowing down so that Justin could catch up with him. “It’s not like he has a monopoly on the sport. Anyone can play, including me.”

“Don’t do anything stupid,” Justin sighed, knowing that he wouldn’t be able to get Justin to promise anything else.

“What makes you think I’d do anything stupid?” Brian grinned before disappearing into his classroom.

~*~*~

As soon as he stepped into the chemistry lab, the smile left Brian’s face and he scowled. Chris Hobbs was going to pay for what he had done to Justin. He didn’t care if it meant that he would get suspended as well, but Chris was going to find out just what happened when he tried to hurt Justin.

One part of his plan would take a little bit of time to put into action, but in the end he knew that it would leave a lasting impression on the arrogant teen. The rest was based on observations he had made the previous year when he and Hobbs shared a gym class.

“I’m glad that you could join us, Mr. Kinney,” Mr. Byrd, the chemistry teacher, said as Brian slunk towards one of the few empty seats in the room.

“Wouldn’t miss it,” Brian smirked, dumping his backpack onto one of the black counters that served as desks in the classroom. “Any chance we get to blow something up today?”

Mr. Byrd returned the smirk as he sifted through a stack of papers in front of him. “You’ll just have to wait and see, Mr. Kinney.”

~*~*~

Wanting to put off the inevitable, Justin headed to the diner before going home. He’d already had one breakfast, but wasn’t opposed to another before lunch. Justin hoped that Debbie wasn’t working because he didn’t much feel like getting a lecture from her. Of course Debbie’s reaction would be mild compared to his parents if he wasn’t able to hide the fact that he was suspended from them.

“What the hell are you doing here? Shouldn’t you be at school, Sunshine?” Debbie demanded the instant Justin entered the Liberty Diner. “And what the fuck happened to your face?”

“My face got introduced to something it didn’t like,” Justin mumbled evasively, sliding into one of the stools at the counter. “Can I get a deluxe breakfast?”

“After you tell me what you’re doing here when you should be in school,” Debbie countered, crossing her arms over her ample chest.

Leaning forward, Justin snatched the order pad and pen out of Debbie’s hands, writing down his order as he made his way around the counter to the pass through window. “I’ll tell you while I have my breakfast,” Justin finalized as he stuck his order on the peg and spun it around into the kitchen. “Can I have some orange juice please?”

Debbie busied herself with getting Justin his juice and taking bills to a few people. Justin knew that his respite wouldn’t be long and planned on taking full advantage of it. At the very least he could try out his excuse on the waitress to see if it needed any fine tuning before his parents found out about what had happened that morning.

“Here’s the food. Now spill,” Debbie said a few minutes later as she set down the plate loaded full of breakfast foods in front of him.

While he devoured the food in front of him, Justin told Debbie about his meeting with Chris Hobbs and what followed in the principal’s office. As he’d expected, the woman began ranting and raving about the injustice of what had happened. Justin let her get it out of her system, knowing that he wouldn’t be able to stop it even if he’d tried.

What Justin kept to himself was Brian’s reaction to the whole situation.

~*~*~

Even though Chris Hobbs wasn’t in his last period gym class, Brian knew that he would have the chance to get back at the cocky blonde for what he’d done to Justin.

The previous year, when they had shared a gym class, Brian had become aware of the fact that Chris Hobbs was always the last one to leave the locker room. For most of their junior year at St. James, Brian had ignored that fact, figuring instead that Hobbs was primping in front of the mirror after everyone else left. That was until one day when he’d forgotten an assignment in his locker in the spring and went back in to get it before going to lunch.

Just as he’d been about to open his locker and get the written assignment needed, Brian had heard grunting coming from deeper in the locker room. Creeping forward until he reached the last row of lockers, Brian peered around the corner, shocked by what he saw. 

Chris Hobbs leaning against the back row of lockers jerking off.

At least once a week for the remainder of the year, Brian would send Justin on ahead then sneak back in to see if Hobbs was participating in his favourite pastime. Each and every time, Chris would be jerking off as quiet as possible, doing his best not to make a sound.

Brian hoped that the same thing would happen after football practice.

~*~*~

Justin had thankfully been bought a reprieve. His parents hadn’t been home when the school called about his suspension and he’d been able to erase the message on the machine. Justin knew that he wouldn’t be able to keep it from them forever, but he could at least put it off for a while longer.

The thing that Justin was most worried about was what was happening at the football tryouts. He knew that Brian was on edge because his parents’ trial date was getting closer. Brian would have to relive everything he’d been trying so hard to put behind him since April. To Brian it would be like living through it again.

With Brian in his current state of mind, there was no telling what would happen when he and Chris Hobbs crossed paths.

~*~*~

It worked out better than Brian could have ever thought possible. His presence had pissed Hobbs off so much that the coach had banished the two of them to the equipment shed to use up their energy cleaning the small building up.

“Stay the fuck away from me,” Chris growled as the door crashed shut behind them. “We’ll do this then get the hell out.”

“Well we wouldn’t be here if you had better control of your temper,” Brian smirked in a bright tone. “You really should look into anger management classes.”

“Fuck you, Kinney!”

Brian only laughed at the threat, ripping off his sweaty t-shirt and tossing it to the ground. For the next half hour the two worked in total silence, the only sounds in the small shed the occasional grunt or clunk from boxes being dropped.

“You ever been with a girl, Kinney?” Chris asked, catching Brian completely off guard.

“Why the fuck would I want to go anywhere near that sopping swamp?” Brian snorted over his shoulder, briefly making eye contact with his nemesis.

“You don’t know what you’re missing,” Chris mumbled as he slumped down on an upturned crate. “It’s so warm and tight and you slide through so smooth.... Holds you like a vice grip....”

Brian ignored most of what Chris was ranting about, not wanting to have nightmares for the next month. Instead he slowly made his way closer to where Chris was sitting, rubbing himself through his shorts, giving the impression that he was paying attention.

“Sports really turn you on, huh?” Brian murmured when Chris fell silent, still stroking himself through his shorts.

“Gets the blood pumping,” the football player moaned, “then I go to my girl’s house and get her to suck me off.”

Sitting down next to him, Brian began stroking himself. “That so?”

“Oh yeah.... Ali Kemp. She gives phenomenal head.”

“Nothing beats getting head from a guy, though,” Brian mumbled, slowly reaching his hand over to rest on Chris’ lap, over his hand. When the blonde didn’t protest, Brian began stroking his obviously hard dick. “Guys know what feel good and hit all the best spots.... You see stars....”

“Yeah....”

Taking advantage of all the chemicals wreaking havoc on Hobb’s senses, Brian moved his hand inside the other teen’s shorts and wrapped his fingers around his cock. He began pumping, jacking Chris off. Brian was quick and efficient, feeling sick to his stomach about touching the guy who had tried to bash his head in with a tire iron barely seven months before.

With a loud gasp, Chris came, his entire body shuddering. As soon as he was done, Brian pulled his hand away, wiping it off on Hobb’s shorts.

While Chris was still moaning and coming down from his high, Brian leaned in close and growled in his ear, “You know that queer virus you’re so fucking scared of? You just caught it.”


	25. Cohorts in Crime

“So what made you go to Brian’s house that morning?”

Justin took a deep, steadying breath, trying to remain objective and not get overly emotional when remembering that long ago day. “I was worried about him.”

He had to bite on the inside of his cheek as he caught sight of Brian who was sitting hunched behind the prosecution’s desk. There was a noticeable gap on either side of the teen, making him stand out all the more. Debbie, Vic and Brian’s sister Claire were all seated on the bench behind Brian. As comforting Justin knew their presence was, Jack and Joanie sitting across the aisleway from him had to be throwing Brian off more than simply reliving the events in his mind.

“Why were you worried?” Diedre Collins, the assistant district attorney, asked Justin, forcing his attention away from Brian. “Had he given you any indication the night before that something was wrong?”

“It wasn’t anything Brian said or did,” Justin clarified, remembering his own unease from that morning. “It was just.... Something just didn’t feel right. So I figured that I’d just stop by his house on my way to work to make sure nothing was wrong.”

~*~*~

Despite his best efforts, Brian couldn’t seem to stop trembling. Until that morning, Brian had managed to convince himself that he’d be able to stand up to the memories that the trial was bringing back into focus.

However, the instant he’d entered the courtroom and saw his parents sitting at the defense table, that plan had gone completely down hill. It was the first time Brian had seen Jack and Joanie since April except for the odd photograph that he’d seen of them in the paper during the months in between.

For the entire first day of the testimonies, Brian had been a nervous wreck. Vic had been the only one there at first, Deb and Claire having been forbidden to enter the courtroom before they’d given their testimonies and that hadn’t been till well after lunch. The only problem was that he’d really wanted Justin there.

A day later, he finally got his wish.

~*~*~

“What did you see when you got to the Kinney residence?”

Justin wracked his brains for a moment, trying to remember just what he’d been able to see in that dented garbage can. “Some of Brian’s stuff was in the trash by the road. Odds and ends I’d seen around his room the few times I’d been there. His Pink Floyd poster that was on his door.”

Diedre nodded her head slightly. “What happened when you got to the door?”

~*~*~

Brian squeezed his eyes shut tight, trying to shut out the memories of what had happened the last time he’d been in his parents’ house. He didn’t want to remember anything about that night.

_“I don’t fucking believe it. My Sonnyboy’s a fucking fairy.”_

_“Wha... what are you talking about?” Brian stammered, spinning around to peer through the darkened kitchen in the direction of his father’s voice._

_“You know what I’m talking about,” Jack growled, advancing towards him from the direction of the garage. “You and that WASP brat locking lips a few blocks down the street. How did you not notice the fact that he had a dick?”_

_Squaring his shoulders, Brian was determined to stand his ground. “I’m actually quite fond of Justin’s dick--”_

_The statement was cut off by a solid right cross to his jaw. Brian staggered back, but managed to stay standing as his hip crashed into the kitchen table which oddly helped to steady him._

_“What’s the matter, Pops?” Brian shouted after spitting the pooling blood from his mouth. “Are you ashamed to have a son who’s queer? Who likes to take it up the ass?” Brian tried to jump out of the way of the blow that was aimed at his stomach, but failed. “No, wait, that would imply that there was ever a time that you didn’t hate me. Because we both know that you never wanted me!”_

_The next blow to his stomach had Brian down on his knees._

~*~*~

No one else would have noticed it, but Justin could easily make out the slight shudders that shook Brian’s body every so often. The soccer player was doing his best to hide the effects the trial was having on him and most people probably would have believed the calm front he was presenting. However, most people didn’t know Brian the way he did. After nine months of intimate relations there was a lot that Justin knew about Brian.

“Did Brian’s parents give any reason for sending him to live with an aunt?” Diedre questioned after covering the Justin’s initial attempts to get information from Brian’s parents.

Even though he had been instructed not to, Justin glared momentarily at Joanie Kinney. “His mom told me that it was because he kept getting in trouble at school.”

Diedre turned to look over at the jury, making sure that they paid attention to what was coming. “Had Brian been having any trouble at school?”

“Just with this one guy who didn’t like that Brian was stealing all his glory,” Justin answered honestly, curbing the way he initially wanted to phrase his response.

“Now was Brian doing this intentionally?”

The artist shook his head immediately, furrowing his brows slightly. “No way. The reason Brian was at St. James was because he was offered a soccer scholarship so that he could make our less than stellar team better. He also did some track and football. Add to the fact that Brian and I accidentally outed ourselves at school and it was all the reason he needed to try and torment Brian.”

Diedre walked back around so that she was facing him. “Other than that, did Brian have any trouble at school?”

“None,” Justin said at first before elaborating with, “He’s got great grades, the teachers like him, he’s friends with a lot of people....”

~*~*~

_“Jack, stop it!” Joanie hissed, her voice penetrating the haze that was quickly beginning to descend on Brian._

_Brian allowed his body to slump to the ground, relieved that his mother was going to make his father stop. He was pretty sure that he could make it to Justin’s in his present condition. It would take a while, and a lot out of him, but he was sure that he could make it across town. Whether he could climb up to Justin’s window remained to be seen. It was difficult enough when he wasn’t hurt._

_“If you insist on punishing Brian for whatever transgression he’s committed tonight, would you please do it in the basement so that the neighbours don’t hear.”_

_“Mom....” Brian moaned pathetically, staring at his mother as though she were a stranger._

_“You are an unruly child, Brian, and need to be disciplined,” Joanie insisted, crossing over to the liquor cabinet for a bottle of sherry._

~*~*~

“Back to the day Brian was ‘sent to Georgia,’” Diedre continued, absently consulting her notes. “When did you discover Brian hadn’t actually left the city?”

Justin knew exactly what as coming up next, the part that he was dreading the most. Back when he’d originally found Brian, Justin had been acting purely on adrenaline and hadn’t been thinking things through. He’d simply been running on emotions and instinct, doing whatever he had to to keep Brian alive.

“Around, um... around seven or so when I was walking one of the waitresses home,” Justin stammered, trying to swallow the heavy lump in his throat.

Diedre gave him a reassuring smile, knowing how difficult it was for him to talk about it based on their earlier meetings. “How exactly did you find Brian?”

~*~*~

_His wrist had been broken as he’d tumbled down the last six steps into the basement, landing hard on the concrete floor...._

Sitting in a courtroom five months later, Brian flexed his left wrist. The bones had all healed fully and, except for a slight ache if he used the limb too much, it was as though it had never been broken.

Sucking in his bottom lip, Brian pulled back the sleeve of his jacket and ran his left thumb over the cowry shell bracelet he’d put on just that morning. He’d needed the familiarity of it to ground him while his past was raked over the coals. Brian hadn’t wanted to put the bracelet on, but after the hell he’d gone through the previous day Brian knew that he needed it. He needed to feel close to Justin even if he couldn’t be near the other man.

Brian raised his head, staring in Justin’s direction as he continued to run his fingers over the shells that encircled his wrist. It pained him to see just how on edge Justin was. Brian knew that he should have given Justin back his ring. He would have, too, if he hadn’t been so selfish. The ring, like his bracelet, helped to center him.

The bracelet, though, would always be his main source of comfort.

_Halfway up the stairs, the gleam of the moon seeping in through the window flashing momentarily on the cowry shells. So focused on them, Brian stumbled slightly and slid down a few steps so that his feet hit the ground. Keeping his eyes focused on the bracelet, Brian forced every ounce of strength he had left into his limbs to crawl up the old wooden steps._

~*~*~

“I, um....” Justin stammered then paused to let out a loud breath before he could continue. “Debbie was giving me a pep talk ‘cause I’d been upset since I’d found out Brian was gone. Next thing I know I’m stuck in a bear hug and Debbie planted this huge kiss on my forehead. So I turned and... I turned around to use a window as a mirror to make sure that I got all the lipstick off. That’s when I saw Brian. His hand, really. It was sticking out from behind a box or something.”

Diedre nodded her head slightly, her eyes already down on the legal pad that she was holding in her left hand. “Did you know right away that the hand belonged to Brian?”

At that instant, Justin saw Brian raise his right hand to sweep his fingers through his hair and in that motion he caught sight of the cowry shell bracelet on his wrist. There was no stopping the slight smile that tugged at the corners of his lips when he saw Brian wearing the bracelet for the first time since Justin had cut it off his wrist.

At the same time, the thought of Brian’s hands only made his smile grow further. “As soon as I saw it. I’ve drawn Brian’s hands enough to be able to pick them out of a lineup. Plus there was, um... there was the bracelet I’d given him for Valentine’s Day. And there was a cowry shell bracelet on the right arm and I know that Brian never took his off.”

~*~*~

_His mother was seated at the kitchen table when he finally crawled his way out of the basement. Using the handle as a leverage, Brian was able to pull himself upright and stood wavering near the basement stairs._

_“You are a sinner, Brian. A horrible sinner and I will pray for your soul,” Joanie told him without even looking in his direction. “But from this moment on, I no longer have a son.”_

_“Mom,” Brian gasped, clutching his left hand to his chest._

_Joanie reached for her bottle of sherry and poured herself another glass. “Your father is asleep right now so I think it would be best if you were gone before he wakes up.”_

_And with that Brian had been dismissed completely. He had been removed from the Kinney family with only a few sentences. Brian wanted to be glad for that development, but at the moment Brian didn’t even know how he was going to get out of the house let alone to Justin’s. He would have called the blonde, but he didn’t remember where he’d left his cell phone or where his wallet was for that matter._

_“Where am I supposed to go?” Brian mumbled, his body wavering slightly as he attempted to take a few steps towards the garage door. “It’s the middle of the night.”_

_Joanie didn’t answer him. Didn’t even look at him. Already he didn’t exist to her._

~*~*~

From all of their earlier meetings, Justin knew that he was nearing the halfway point of his testimony. There was only a little bit more that Diedre wanted to cover before he would be cross examined by the Kinneys’ lawyer. Justin was not looking forward to that experience because he knew that the man defending Brian’s parents would be trying his utmost to make the two look like caring parents when they were anything but.

“Had Brian ever discussed his sexuality with his parents?” 

It was always Justin’s instinct to laugh out loud at that question. The sheer absurdity of that question threw him off because there was no way that the answer to it could ever be anything but, “No. His mom is extremely religious and he knew that his father would react badly if he found out that Brian was gay.”

Diedre’s next question was very solemn. “By reacting badly, you are referring to what happened on April 11th of this year.”

~*~*~

_With a great deal of effort, Brian managed to stumble out of the house through the front door. He purposely knocked over some things along the way, hoping to make enough noise to wake Claire up if she was home. If he could get her attention he could maybe get her to drive him over to Justin’s._

_Out on the porch, Brian lost his balance and mostly fell down the steps and onto the grass. He lay on the grass for several long minutes, working up the energy to get back to his feet so that he could go to Justin._

~*~*~

“Yes.”

~*~*~

Sucking in his lips, Brian let out a loud breath through his nose in an attempt to push away all of the lingering memories. There was no need for them any longer because they were no longer a part of his life. It had been five months since he had set foot in his old house and Brian had no intention of going there ever again. 

For the first time in his life, Brian wasn’t consumed with the need to get as far away from the Pitts as humanly possible. Granted, he still wanted to go to New York or some other big city, but Brian could remain in Pittsburgh until he had built up his reputation enough to make a big impression when he got to wherever he was going.

It was also his hope that the rift between himself and Justin could be mended so that the two of them could take over the world together like they’d planned.

~*~*~

“How has Brian been since he moved in with Mrs. Novotny?” Diedre inquired, coming to the close of her questioning.

Again the smile returned to Justin’s face. Even if he had wanted to, there would have been no stopping it. “Brian’s happy now.”

“Could you elaborate?” Diedre pressed, turning her full attention onto him.

“Well he sleeps more,” Justin began, his smile only growing. “He’s not always exhausted or nervous and he actually likes going home. Plus, Brian doesn’t have to worry about what’s going to happen to him if he lets his guard down or shows who he really is.”

Diedre arched an eyebrow at that comment, her own smile appearing. “And who is Brian?”

Flustered slightly, Justin blushed and glanced down at his lap. Raising his head, he met Brian’s gaze with a brilliant smile. “He’s.... He’s just... Brian.”

~*~*~

It was the end of the day so the defense lawyers would have to wait a day to cross examine Justin. The blonde hadn’t even left the witness stand before the judge adjourned the trial for the day.

Brian made his way into the main aisle, standing directly in front of Justin who was walking towards him. He kept his eyes locked on Justin, while pulling at the Claddagh ring he wore on his right middle finger. Once it was off, he shoved it into his pocket.

It was time to give Justin back his ring.


	26. Cohorts in Crime

Even though he didn’t want to be, Justin was surprised to see Brian waiting for him at the swinging gate leading into the gallery. He could see Brian fumbling with his right hand, pulling at the ring that Justin knew his ex had taken to wearing after he’d left it behind. When it came off his finger, Justin wasn’t sure what to expect considering Brian immediately shoved it into his pocket.

“How are you holding up?” Justin murmured as he moved into the aisle between the first bench of seats and the rail so that others could get past them and out of the courtroom.

Brian jerked his head, nodding slightly. “I’m surviving. It’s getting easier.”

Reaching over, Justin cupped Brian’s cheek when the other teen began to chew on his bottom lip. “If it helps, you look really spiffy in your new suit.”

“You’re a freak,” Brian chuckled, a crooked smile forming on his lips.

Then the uneasy tension that had developed between them as of late returned with full force. Justin still couldn’t fathom the fact that such a tension could exist between the two of them. It should have been impossible. They knew each other’s bodies so completely and their minds and personalities almost as well so there should have been no possibility of awkwardness.

It was there nonetheless.

“Come on, boys, me and Vic are treating you to dinner,” Debbie announced as she moved into the aisle next to them. “Your sister’s coming with us, Brian.”

Immediately, Justin began wracking his brain for some type of excuse to avoid going to dinner with Brian’s new family. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to go-- he loved Debbie and Vic and Claire was great --but he didn’t want to ruin the night for Brian. With everything else that was going on, Brian didn’t need the added stress of him being a part of it.

“Don’t even think about it, Sunshine. This is a family dinner and you’re a part of this family,” Debbie informed him, jabbing him with her index finger.

Brian didn’t say anything, but from his expression Justin could tell that he was agreeing with Debbie’s sentiment. There was a silent pleading in his eyes that Justin could do nothing to ignore.

So he nodded his head.

~*~*~

“I’m gonna ride with Justin,” Brian informed the others as they headed towards the parking lot outside of the courthouse. “Where are we going anyway?”

“I’m treating my boys tonight,” Deb informed them, smiling broadly. “The five of us are going to that sea food place downtown. The one where the waiters dress up like sailors and the host is a pirate captain.”

Brian knew the place well. It was the same place Deb and Vic had taken him after he’d first moved in with them and again after the soccer championships. Provided things didn’t end badly with the trial, Brian was pretty sure that they’d end up there again in a week or so. Brian knew how tight things were financially for Deb and Vic and he felt more a part of their family that they were making such concessions for him.

“Don’t take any detours,” Vic chuckled as the two teens moved in the direction of Justin’s deep. “We’d like you to be there before desert.”

Brian smiled sadly at the man who had been more of a father to him in five months than his own had been in nearly seventeen years. He knew that Vic meant well, but it still hurt knowing that he and Justin wouldn’t be taking the same detour they would have a month ago. At this time, Brian would be grateful if he could manage to talk to Justin about the ring. The ride would only last ten minutes, but Brian hoped that he would be enough time for him to muster the courage to bring it up.

In the end, it was Justin who brought it up at the first stop light they hit.

“So am I allowed to be hopeful now that you’re wearing the bracelet again?” Justin murmured, glancing nervously in Brian’s direction.

Returning that nervous look, Brian looked back down at his bracelet. “I hope so. I really do, but it’s just as much up to you as it is me.”

“Yeah, but.... I’m the one who broke us.... Who broke you,” Justin murmured as he started down the street once again. “If anyone gets to decide what happens to us, it’s you.”

Turning his head, Brian stared at Justin in confusion. “But there’s two of us. If you’re still hurting, I don’t want to make things worse for you by forcing you into a relationship you don’t want. It’s bad enough you have to deal with this trial and all the shit--”

“Brian, don’t,” the artist interrupted him, moving his hand from the gear shift to rest on Brian’s thigh. “You don’t have to apologize for anything. I’m the one who overreacted that morning and I’m the one who’s hoping that you’ll forgive me and let us start over.”

Even though he wanted to tell Justin right then and there that he forgave him and wanted them to start over again, Brian stayed silent. He couldn’t seem to make the words move past his lips no matter how much he wanted them to. Brian quietly sat back in his seat, watching the buildings as they rushed past.

~*~*~

Justin did his best not to react to Brian’s dooming silence. He should have known that Brian would be at least a little uneasy about the prospect of them getting back together again. Especially not in the middle of his parents’ trial in which he was the chief witness. If Justin was smart, he would have put off the conversation until after the trial; when Brian had a chance to calm down and center himself again.

“Hey, this weekend did you want to drive around time to work on that photography project we have?” Justin asked as he pulled Rigby into the restaurant parking lot.

“I have to work,” Brian informed him. “And I’m gonna be doing things with Claire before she goes back to Atlanta.”

Justin frowned slightly as he pulled into the first available parking spot. Once he’d put the jeep into park, he turned to the other teen and waited for Brian to look at him before he spoke. “You need to relax at some point this weekend, Bri, or else you’ll snap when you’re on the witness stand if not before. I want you to come out of this without having a nervous breakdown.”

“I’ll be fine, Justin,” Brian tried to insist, looking away from Justin as he opened the passenger door and climbed out. “I’m used to this kind of thing.”

“That’s just the thing,” Justin protested as he shot out of the jeep. “You shouldn’t _have_ to be used to this kind of thing. You’re a kid, you should just be enjoying yourself, having fun. Not stuck in a courtroom having your life dragged through the coals because your parents are unfeeling sacks of shit!”

Sucking his lips in, Brian looked down at the pavement and shoved his hands deep into his pockets. “Not everyone gets a fairy tale life, Sunshine. Some of us just get a tough deal. Now leave it alone.”

“Brian....”

With a sad smile on his face, Brian glanced at Justin for a brief moment before turning towards the restaurant and walking towards it. He didn’t once look back.

~*~*~

For the next hour, Brian made sure to keep a fake smile on his face. He didn’t want his sister or Deb and Vic to know that he was barely holding on. The only way for him to manage that was to pointedly avoid looking at Justin. Justin would know instantly that something was wrong. Even without what had happened in Rigby, Justin would know that there was something bothering him.

“You wanna go catch a movie after dinner?” Claire asked Brian as their waiter refilled her cup of coffee. “I have to go back home in a few days and I probably won’t see you again till Christmas.”

“Yeah. Sure,” Brian murmured, nodding quickly as he moved the last bits of his brownie around in the chocolate sauce that had covered it. “But I’ve got a lot of homework so no long-winded romances that’ll put me to sleep.”

Claire rolled her eyes, shaking her head. “I don’t like those movies anymore than you do. I was thinking a comedy. We could probably use a good laugh.”

“As long as I don’t have to think we can see anything you want,” Brian confirmed just before popping the last piece of brownie into his mouth.

“No thinking, baby brother.”

~*~*~

“Are you proud of yourself?”

Justin stared at the Kinneys’ lawyer in confusion. “I don’t understand.”

“Of your sexual orientation,” the defense attorney clarified. “Are you proud?”

“If you’re asking whether or not I’m ashamed of being gay then the answer’s no. I’m not ashamed. Being gay is a part of who I am and I won’t hide from anything,” Justin informed the lawyer, following her movements across the courtroom as he began pacing.

“And does Brian share this opinion of his own sexuality?” the middle aged man in the well-worn suit questioned, stopping in his pacing to face Justin.

“I can’t read Brian’s mind, but from what I can tell he’s very comfortable with the fact that he’s gay,” Justin responded, at a loss for where the lawyer was going with his questions. “We spend a lot of time on Liberty Avenue and we’re the only out couple at our school.”

The lawyer, Thomas O’Banyon, paused for a moment, angling his body so that he was facing the jury. “Were you aware that Brian had been raised in a strict Irish Catholic home?”

“I know that his mother’s very religious,” Justin confirmed with a slight nod. “Just like I know that Brian’s not.”

~*~*~

“Now, Brian, the defense is trying to insinuate that it was Justin’s decision to out yourselves at school,” Diedre said, glancing up from her notes to meet the frazzled teen’s gaze. “That he made your sexuality an issue when you would have rather kept it hidden.”

Brian shook his head as he processed the question. “I love Justin. I don’t care who knows that.”

“Then why not tell your parents about your relationship?” the lawyer questioned, turning towards the jury momentarily. “Surely if you were proud of your relationship with Justin you would have told your parents about it.”

“And wind up like I did when my old man saw me kiss Justin?” Brian chuckled, on the verge of hysterics. He could feel his hands beginning to shake and gripped the arms of the wooden chair he was sitting on as tightly as he could.

“Objection, your honour!” the defense lawyer called, rising to his feet. “Would you please ask the defendant to refrain from making flippant remarks.”

“Under the circumstances I’ll allow it. Overruled,” Judge Marie Thiabaldi stated, holding O’Banyon’s gaze as she spoke.

Brian smiled gratefully at the judge and relaxed into the uncomfortable seat.

“Thank you, your honour,” Diedre murmured before turning her attention back to Brian. “Did you have any reason to believe that your parents would react badly if they found out that you were gay?”

“The only reason that I was ever born was because my mother’s a strict Irish Catholic and that wouldn’t allow her to have an abortion like my father wanted,” Brian sighed, reaching into his right sleeve to fumble with the cowry shell bracelet. “My entire life I’ve been either a mistake or a disgrace and my father had no problem making sure that I knew my place in the scheme of things.”

“And by that you mean...?” Diedre prodded, giving him a sympathetic smile.

Trembling even more noticeably, Brian shifted in his seat in an attempt to hide it from anyone watching. “That my father has been smacking me around for as long as I can remember. The older I got, the more force he used until he didn’t care if he broke bones.”

~*~*~

In the gallery, Justin kept his eyes focused on Brian, ignoring everything else. He didn’t care about a verdict, lines of questioning or what was revealed about their life as long as Brian stayed sane through it all. Even from the distance he could see the cracks forming in Brian’s defenses. He was fidgeting, tugging at his bracelet and constantly chewing on his top lip.

“He’s gonna be fine, Sunshine,” Debbie murmured in his ear, running a hand along his upper arm. “Brian’s tough as nails and you know it.”

“This is different, though,” Justin sighed, watching Brian’s eyes dart about in a panic.

~*~*~

“You’re an athlete, aren’t you?”

“I’m on a soccer scholarship from St. James Academy and I’ve been on the all city team since I was in middle school,” Brian responded automatically, glad for the change in questioning. “I also play football and I do track.”

Diedre nodded slightly. “Those are all very physical sports, right?”

“They require a lot of endurance, yeah,” Brian confirmed, letting out an easy breath. “With soccer and track you’re running pretty much non-stop and football is... it’s football. It’s very demanding and even the sniffles can throw you off big time.”

“Now you have a breathing problem, isn’t that correct?” Diedre asked him, moving back over to the prosecution table to pick up a sheet of paper. “A deviated septum?”

“I do. As far as I know I’ve had it since birth.”

“Under normal circumstances, does it cause you any trouble?” the lawyer wanted to know, feigning innocence even though they both already knew the answer to the question.

“None. I have to wear one of those breathing strips, but it’s a minor hassle,” Brian responded, straightening his posture.

Diedre leaned against the table, staring directly at Brian. “Did you always know that you had this problem?”

“I only found out about it when I was twelve,” Brian told her as his left hand once again moved towards the bracelet on his right wrist.

“How did you find out?”

Brian squeezed his eyes shut tight, pushing away the memory that was doing its utmost to surface. “My old man broke my nose and I passed out in the middle of a soccer practice because I couldn’t breathe right.”

~*~*~

Even knowing what Brian had been subjected his entire life didn’t prepare him for hearing the details of it aired in front of an open court. The fact that Brian was once again beginning to fall apart right in front of them. Except he was probably the only person who realized it. Debbie and Vic might be able to tell that Brian was close to breaking down, but Justin could tell just how close he was.

And it was only going to get worse now that it was time for him to be cross examined.

~*~*~

“I never flaunted myself,” Brian insisted for what seemed like the thousandth time in only a few minutes. “Justin and I did the same thing that any straight couple would do. The only difference is that instead of kissing a girl, I kiss Justin.”

“Yet you were smart enough to keep this relationship from your parents,” O’Banyon smirked, crossing his arms over his chest. “On some level you must have known that you were flaunting yourself.”

“I didn’t flaunt myself. I lived my life,” Brian growled out, glaring at the lawyer. “And would you please tell me what this has to do with my old man spending the last seventeen years using me as his own personal punching bag! That last time was the only time my being gay had anything to do with why he decided to vent his frustrations on me! If you want to play the gay card then explain away all the other times because I’d really like to know what excuse he could have because I only figured out I was gay about five years ago. There’s still another twelve years to explain away.”

~*~*~

The entire courtroom was rendered silent by Brian’s outburst. On the witness stand, Brian went to pieces without so much as a whimper. Tears were sliding down his cheeks as he shook quietly in the chair, seemingly unaware of what was going on around him.

“It’s just about noon now so I’m going to release us all for lunch,” the judge announced, her eyes trained on the Kinneys’ lawyer. “I’ll see both counselors in my chambers directly. You may be excused, Mr. Kinney, but please remember that you are under oath.”

As soon as the judge was out of her chair, Justin bolted to his feet and made his way towards Brian. He jogged quickly across the distance that separated him and met Brian just as he was climbing down from the witness stand.

~*~*~

Through the haze of tears filling his eyes, Brian managed to lock onto a familiar figure rushing towards him.

“Jus...,” he whimpered as he slid into Justin’s arms. He clutched his lover tightly and buried his face against his neck, wanting to disappear into Justin until he felt human again.

“Come on, Bri, I’m taking you out of here,” Justin murmured in his ear as he began to guide him towards the exit.

After only a few steps, Brian planted his feet, refusing to move any further. When Justin turned around to see what was wrong, he forced himself to meet the artist’s worried gaze. Fumbling slightly, Brian reached into his pocket and pulled out the Claddagh ring that he’d wanted to give to Justin the night before.

“I need something normal,” Brian whispered as he toyed with the ring, keeping it close to the side of his body. “Can we be normal again?”

“I like normal,” Justin grinned, reaching up to cup Brian’s cheek.

Taking Justin’s right hand in his own, Brian carefully slid the ring back onto his third finger. He stared at it for several long moments, running his thumb over the silver ring.

“Normal is good.”


	27. Cohorts in Crime

Brian was grateful that Justin seemed to know without having to be told that he didn’t want to be near anyone. At least not anyone that wasn’t the blonde himself. So lunch was McDonalds take out eaten in the parking lot of one of the riverfront parks. The scenery was less than stellar since they could barely see out of the windows in the pouring rain, but the lack of tension between him and Justin more than made up for it.

“Thanks for this,” Brian murmured, tipping his Big Mac in Justin’s direction.

Justin shrugged absently as he reached for his chocolate shake. “No biggie. You bought the last round when we went camping.”

A small smile curved the corners of Brian’s lips. “Just the same, Sunshine.”

The two ate in silence for a few minutes, their fingers bumping occasionally as they reached to the center console where their fries were resting. They only had an hour’s reprieve from the trial, but Brian knew that it would be long enough for him to get himself calm again. It was likely a pointless attempt because he still had to face further cross from his parents’ lawyer.

“This is going to be over soon, right?” Brian asked quietly, turning his head to glance over at the blonde.

“It’ll be over soon,” Justin promised, reaching over to cup the back of his head. “Then you’ll get your life back and you can kick Hobbs’ ass in football some more.”

Even though Brian knew that the comment was meant to be a casual one, Brian still tensed momentarily when he heard it. With everything else that had been going on, he had managed to forget about what had happened between him and Hobbs in the equipment shed behind the school. Brian had no idea what had possessed him to do such a thing except that he had wanted to give the other teen at least a taste of the comeuppance he deserved for everything he’d ever done to Justin.

“We should probably get back,” Brian mumbled as he began gathering up all his trash. “We have to be back in fifteen minutes.”

Once again, Justin reached over to slide his fingers through the soccer player’s hair. “Just breathe, Bri.”

“This is one of those times I really wish we lived close to the Mexican border,” Brian sighed, leaning into Justin’s hand. “That way we could just disappear and say to hell with this.”

“A few more days and you can,” Justin assured him, smiling brightly.

~*~*~

Whatever Judge Thiabaldi had said to the two judges during the lunch recess, it must have been very effective because the second half of Brian’s cross was less aggressive. The man was far from civil and it was quite obvious that he was a homophobic asshole, but at least he wasn’t verbally attacking Brian.

Justin straightened as soon as Brian was excused from the witness stand. He had purposely sat at the end of the aisle so that Brian could slip in next to him without making a scene for the reporters that were gathered at the back of the courtroom. There was no doubt in his mind that their little adventure that morning was already well documented and he didn’t feel like adding anything else to their stories.

As he predicted, Brian slid into the seat, slumping against him almost immediately. Not caring about anything around him, Justin draped an arm across Brian’s shoulders, that hand sliding into the brunette’s hair as his head dropped onto Justin’s shoulder. Justin really wanted to take Brian home, but he had to remain in the courtroom by order of Diedre.

“Your work’s done now,” Justin murmured against the top of his head. “All you have to do is sit back and let Diedre do her job. And we have all weekend to get you ready to deal with this again on Monday.”

Brian said nothing, but his arm wound around Justin’s waist.

~*~*~

All along, Brian had known that he would be the last witness called for the defense. After him, it would only be people who wanted to see his parents get let off for what they’d done. His parents, some teachers from his old school that he’d had clashes with, the priest from his mother’s church, and a few others who would attempt to paint his parents in a wonderful light. Brian had told Diedre everything he could think of to make the jury doubt what each said, but there were no guarantees.

In the end, his life was in the hands of people who really care what happened to him one way or another.

~*~*~

“All his life, Brian has been an unruly child,” Joanie Kinney said, sitting ramrod straight on the witness stand. “He is willful and arrogant and refuses to do a single thing he’s told. He has forsaken a life of God and instead chooses to live the life of a sodomite. It is necessary that his father disciplines him in such a severe manner because Brian does not understand any other form of chastisement.”

“So your husband was only ever attempting to discipline your son?” O’Banyon pressed, crossing his arms over his chest.

“Yes.”

The defense lawyer moved back towards his table, which meant that it was time for Diedre to make her cross. Brian was still somewhat out of it-- Joanie being the first defense witness called --but Justin was paying full attention to everything that was going on. He wanted to see Joanie squirm, knowing that she would have to answer every question. Even the ones that she would consider “unmentionable.”

“You’re a devote Christian, correct, Mrs. Kinney?” Diedre demanded as she approached the witness stand.

Tilting her head upwards slightly, Joanie answered in the affirmative.

Diedre frowned slightly, seeming to consider her next statement. “Now I’m quite lax in my faith, but I always thought that loving your fellow man was a part of Jesus’ teachings.”

“It’s all in the context,” Joanie protested, pursing her lips.

“So it’s ‘love your fellow man, but hate your only son’ then?” Diedre attempted to clarify.

Justin was silently praying that the defense lawyer would object to the question. From her expression, Justin guessed that Diedre had been expecting him to as well. Brian shouldn’t hear the answer to the question. It was one thing thinking that his parents hated him, but to have his mother say point blank that she did was something that no child should ever hear.

“I love you,” Justin whispered against Brian’s forehead at the same time that Joanie responded with, “In a manner of speaking, yes.”

~*~*~

He wanted to be shocked, to be hurt or to even be surprised about his mother’s answer, but in the end, Brian really wasn’t. Brian knew full well that the only reason he existed was because it had been a sin for her to abort him.

“Can we please go?” Brian murmured against the side of his throat. “I can’t be here anymore.”

“I’m sorry, Bri, but we have to stay here,” Justin sighed, his fingers massaging Brian’s scalp as he held the back of his head. “I’ll talk to Diedre during the next break, but until then we have to stay here.”

Brian leaned further against Justin’s side, infinitely grateful that he and Justin had come to a truce that afternoon. He needed Justin. Even though he’d managed to convince himself otherwise for the past few months, that day had made it plainly obvious just how much he needed the other teen.

After a while, Brian was no longer quite so aware of how time was passing. He allowed his mind to go blank, staring at Justin’s fingers as they were laced through his. Periodically, Brian would release his hold on Justin’s hand so that he could trace his fingertips over the slender fingers. His mind was especially focused on the ring that had only just been returned to Justin’s hand.

“This belongs here,” Brian murmured as he moved his index finger over the edge of the crown at the top of the Claddagh. “It never seemed right when I wore it.”

“You did what you had to do. I don’t blame you,” Justin said softly, his breath warm against Brian’s forehead.

“I blame me. I overreacted,” Brian sighed, straightening himself up slightly.

Justin shook his head and reached over to take Brian’s hand in his. “Don’t, Brian. Sometimes things just happen whether you want them to or not.”

Even knowing that Justin was right, Brian still had a hard time believing it. After all, he had so nearly lived down to Justin’s lowest expectations of him. And he didn’t know if he’d be able to stop himself the next time.

~*~*~

While they hadn’t been able to leave before the proceedings were finished for the day, Diedre had so thoroughly taken apart all of the defense witnesses who had been on the stand that it had been easier for Brian to bare. In fact, Justin was pretty much convinced that the only thing that really stood a chance of throwing Brian off was Jack’s testimony. That would come on Monday so until then Justin had every intention of taking Brian’s mind off it.

“Me and Vic are gonna go visit our sister,” Debbie announced after court had adjourned for the day. “We’ll be back on Sunday night.”

Vic arched an eyebrow in Debbie’s direction. “We are? Does she know this?”

Scowling, Debbie smacked the back of her hand against Vic’s stomach. “Shush. We’re going. We haven’t seen her in a month.”

It was beyond obvious that the trip out of town to visit third Grassi sibling was an impromptu one, but Justin didn’t care. It meant that the two of them had the entire weekends to themselves. They definitely needed that weekend and, more importantly, Brian did. So far, Brian had been dealing with everything completely on his own. Debbie and Vic were there, but knowing Brian the way he did, Justin was pretty sure that he hadn’t unloaded anything on them.

“You wanna stop by the diner on the way to your place and pick something up for dinner?” Justin asked while Brian slipped into his suit jacket. “Or maybe get some Chinese or pizza?”

Brian had just opened his mouth to respond when Diedre appeared beside them, placing a hand on the brunette’s arm. 

“You did good today, Brian,” she praised, smiling at him. “I know it was difficult, but you did very well. You got through it. There should only be about another day of testimonies then it’s in the hands of the jury.”

~*~*~

Balancing the pizza box in one hand, Brian fumbled in his pocket for his keys. Justin was behind him with a few bags of Chinese take-out, completing their meal and undoubtedly at least one more for the weekend. Since neither had to work all weekend, they’d also picked up a few DVD’s to watch on the player they’d bought for Deb and Vic in the summer, wanting their surrogate parents to be able to join the 21st century.

“You have pop, right?” Justin asked as the shuffled into the house, heading right for the living room where they planned on eating.

“Lots,” Brian assured him. “We had it on sale at the store last week so I stocked up.”

Roughly ten minutes later, the pair had changed out of their suits and into more relaxing clothes. They’d stopped at Justin’s on the way home so that the blonde could get enough clothes to last him the weekend, a few other odds and ends and had left a note for his parents, letting them know here he’d be for the weekend.

Dressed in a pair of grey sweats and a white long-sleeve tee, Justin got the food spread out on the coffee table while a jeans and black wifebeater clad Brian got the Moulin Rogue DVD ready to feed their Ewan McGregor addiction. Since his job was quicker, it was his job to run down to the basement to get the pops.

“Thirsty?” Justin smirked as Brian came up lugging an entire twelve pack.

“Prepared,” Brian corrected as he set the case down next to the couch.

“Prepared is good,” Justin agreed, pulling Brian down next to him.

Even though he was tempted to resist the artist’s light tug, Brian fell down beside him easily. With only a slight adjustment, Brian was able to mold himself to Justin’s side just as the little man appeared on the screen to conduct the opening of the movie. Brian remained propped up against Justin’s side as they began their feast, piling one huge plate between the two of them and stealing bites from each other if a hand strayed within reach.

As Christian was serenading Satine inside the elephant, Brian happened to glance up at Justin and saw that the artist was mouthing the words along with the writer on screen. Brian watched him for a few moments, unable to keep a smile from forming on his lips. He watched Justin till just before the song ended, turning back towards the TV so that his boyfriend wouldn’t know that he’d been watched.

~*~*~

Right before Satine’s dramatic death, Justin glanced down at Brian whose head had been resting on his lap for about the past hour. He wanted to be surprised that Brian appeared to be dozing, but he wasn’t. Justin knew that Brian hadn’t been sleeping well since the beginning of the trial and didn’t intend to wake him up, even when his leg began to fall asleep after he’d shut off the movie and turned to normal TV.

Having had ever intention of letting Brian sleep as long as he needed, Justin inadvertently woke up him when some of the plum sauce from an eggroll dribbled onto Brian’s cheek. The soccer player snuffled and rubbed at his cheek, waking up when the sauce smeared onto his hand. Brian stared at the sticky mess for a few moments before clueing in as to what it was.

“You’re a slob, Sunshine,” Brian yawned as he rolled over onto his stomach, holding himself up on his elbows. “Am I covered in any other things I don’t know about?”

“Nope, that’s it,” Justin assured him, reaching out the wipe away the remaining plum sauce from Brian’s cheek.

As he was moving his thumb to his own mouth, Brian lifted himself up higher to catch the digit between his own lips, swirling his tongue around it. Justin was startled by the action, having thought that it would be at least a little while before he and Brian started making love again. He didn’t mind. After everything he’d put Brian through it was what he’d expected.

After releasing Justin’s thumb, Brian climbed off the couch and reached a hand down towards the blonde. Justin was tempted to question Brian’s action until he looked up into the other teen’s hazel eyes. There wasn’t one iota of doubt in Brian’s eyes. He knew what he was doing and wasn’t anywhere near as frazzled as Justin felt.

“You sure?” Justin questioned just the same, not wanting to put him in an uncomfortable position.

Smiling broadly, Brian hauled Justin up to his feet so that barely the width of a finger separated them. Not giving Justin a chance to argue, he leaned in to brush his lips lightly against the smaller teen’s. Brian raised one hand to cup with the side of Justin’s face as he deepened the kiss and Justin felt his world spinning slowly out of control.

“I’m sure,” he panted against Justin’s lips a while later.

~*~*~

Even though the image would never be erased from his mind, Brian still found himself trembling as he saw it in the flesh for the first time in over a month. He tentatively reached out to trail the tips of his fingers over Justin’s fluttering stomach, a smile curving his lips at Justin’s sudden intake of breath. Brian trailed his fingers up Justin’s torso until his hand cupped the side of the blonde’s throat.

“I think I’m more scared now than that night I crawled through your window,” Brian murmured as he snaked his free hand through Justin’s rumpled hair.

“If it makes you feel better, I am too,” Justin sighed as he lightly stroked Brian’s hips with his thumbs. “Think we should take it easy?”

Brian let out a shuddering breath and leaned his forehead against Justin’s. “Like the first time.”

~*~*~

Some time towards the middle of the night, Justin woke to find Brian staring at him from the other side of the pillow. He gave his lover a sleepy grin, barely able to keep his eyes open. Brian’s smile was equally exhausted as he wiggled his body close to Justin’s, nudging himself under the blonde. Immediately, Justin wound his arms around Brian’s upper body, holding his lover against his chest.

A few minutes later he heard the slight wheeze that meant Brian was asleep. Justin watched him for a few moments longer before sleep claimed him into the most peaceful slumber he’d had in a very long time.

And woke up early enough to sneak out of bed and make them a feast of chocolate chip waffles and whipped cream.


	28. Cohorts in Crime

As he entered the bedroom, carefully balancing two plates of whipped cream covered chocolate chip waffles, two cups of coffee and two glasses of orange juice on a tray, Justin stopped in his tracks to stare at Brian who had sprawled himself across the narrow twin bed in the time that he’d been gone. The sheets were all twisted around him and with the sunlight filtering in through the curtains and Justin was immediately wishing that he’d brought a sketchpad with him the day before. Instead he locked the image in his mind. Memorized the way Brian’s left hand lay curled over his stomach, his left leg sticking out from the tangle of dark blue sheets and his right arm curled next to his head, the white cowry shells on his bracelet standing out in sharp contrast to the dark pillow under his head.

“That coffee?” Brian mumbled as he rolled onto his side. The motion pressed his face into the pillow and Brian kept it there for a few seconds while he stretched his muscles out while maintaining his curled up position.

“It’s coffee,” Justin confirmed, stepping further into the room now that the spell had been broken. “Some waffles too, in case you’re interested.”

Keeping his arms crossed under his torso, Brian lifted his head so that he could peer at Justin over his shoulder. “Waffles are good. Bring them over.”

While Justin crossed the room, Brian attempted to untangle himself from the sheets. He was treated to tantalizing glimpses of naked skin that seemed to glow in the early morning light. Even though he could just as easily touch every inch of skin that was revealed, Justin still felt that sometimes he was looking at something sacred. He didn’t flinch at the sight of the odd bruise he saw because he knew that Brian had been enjoying himself when he received them. Football was a full contact sport and Brian’s body bore the testament of that truth. 

When Brian finally was sitting up, his bangs were hanging down in his eyes while the rest of his hair was sticking up in every direction. “No laughing,” Brian grumbled as he reached for a cup of coffee before Justin had even set the tray down. “By the way, you’re overdressed.”

Setting the tray down on the bed, Justin quickly slipped out of his sweats so that he was naked as well. “This better?”

Brian reached a hand out, latching onto Justin’s and pulling him down next to him. “Perfect.”

~*~*~

Leaning up against the headboard, Brian swirled his fingers through the whipped cream that was smeared all over his waffles. Just as he was about to suck the digit into his mouth, a sudden thought occurred to him. Setting the plate down on the bedside table, he leaned over and reached behind that same table for the bottle of chocolate syrup that he’d hidden there not long after he and Justin had broken up.

“Careful,” Justin laughed as Brian began to lose his balance as he leaned forward a bit too far. With one hand, he latched on to Brian’s waist, helping to keep him from sprawling on the floor. “What are you looking for anyway?”

Finally snagging onto the top of the bottle, Brian latched onto it and sat himself back up. “I was looking for this,” he said, revealing the half used bottle of chocolate syrup. “I thought we could use it for our waffles.”

“That’s one use for it,” Justin agreed, holding out his plate to receive his share of the booty.

“We both know what you think the other use is,” Brian smirked as he squeezed a generous amount of the chocolate over Justin’s waffles.

“You say that like it’s a bad thing.”

Shaking his head, Brian proceeded to cover his own waffles in chocolate sauce. He swiped his thumb over the top of the bottle, wiping off the remainder of the syrup before he set the bottle down on the nightstand. The waffles had already been cut up into mini pieces which made them into finger foods, something the blonde excelled at.

At first, Justin’s attempts at making finger foods seemed to be failing. The two were sitting side by side along the headboard which made casual attempts to share their breakfast awkward enough without adding the fact that it had been a month since they’d been intimate like that. So Brian took matters into his own hands. He handed his plate to Justin and shifted around until he was sitting in front of his boyfriend. To get as close as possible, Brian sat between Justin’s legs, draping his own legs overtop of Justin’s which were stretched out in front of the artist.

“This is definitely better,” Justin grinned as he handed Brian back his plate. He then picked up a whipped cream covered waffle square and held it up to Brian’s lips.

Brian grinned broadly as he opened his mouth to accept the breakfast cake. As he closed his lips, he made sure to trap Justin’s thumb and forefinger, sucking on them lightly until he was sure that all of the whipped cream and chocolate and been removed from the digits.

“Yummy,” Brian murmured, poking his tongue out at the corners of his mouth to remove any lingering traces of whipped cream.

~*~*~

Even though Brian had licked the whipped cream from the corners of his mouth, he’d failed to catch the smear above his upper lip. Justin set his own plate down next to him on the mattress then leaned forward, poking the tip of his tongue out from between his lips. He licked at the chocolate first then as, Brian tilted his head to the side, sucked the upper lip into his mouth. Justin assumed that Brian set his own plate aside because the brunette’s hands were clutching at his hips then.

“The waffles are gonna get cold,” Brian chuckled as Justin began to pull him down overtop of him.

Justin shrugged his shoulders, sliding one hand up and down Brian’s side while his other was buried in the rumpled chestnut hair. “I can make us a new batch later.”

~*~*~

Waffles completely forgotten, Brian stretched himself out so that he and Justin were pressed chest to chest. He felt completely relaxed and would have readily drifted off to sleep if it weren’t for the hardening erection he could feel pressing into his lower stomach. Instead, he shifted to the side just enough so that he could reach between their bodies and stroke Justin’s cock to full erection.

Justin arched sharply as Brian dipped his head down and tugged the blonde’s nipple ring between his teeth. Not prepared for the motion, Brian lost his balance and fell to the side... directly into one of the plates of waffles.

“Oh shit.”

~*~*~

At Brian’s startled outcry, Justin scrambled onto his knees to stare down at the wiggling soccer player. After a few moments, Brian managed to flip onto his hands and knees and the problem became perfectly clear to Justin.

Brian’s lower back and ass was covered with a swirl of whipped cream and chocolate syrup.

“Don’t move!” Justin cried, immediately moving to remove the plates with the remainder of their breakfast from the bed.

“If you’re going to draw this or take a picture--”

“Don’t worry,” Justin smirked as he climbed back onto the bed, sitting down in the V created by Brian’s calves. “There will be no art created from this. Only pure enjoyment.”

Apparently having enough with being on display, Brian stretched out on his stomach, bunching a pillow under his head. Now that his treat was at a lower level, Justin was the one up on hands and knees. He crawled forward until his head was above Brian’s lower back then lowered himself down so that he could lick the creamy concoction from his boyfriend’s skin.

~*~*~

Brian couldn’t stop squirming as Justin began to trace wide, curving patterns on his back with the tip of his tongue. Justin was very delicate about it which made it all the more intense on Brian’s oversensitized skin. He noticed right away that Justin was being very methodical about his clean-up job, swirly patterns aside.

“Will you quit with the teasing,” Brian groaned, grinding his hips into the mattress as Justin swiped his tongue across his right ass cheek. He gasped loudly as Justin at the top of said ass cheek. “Justin!”

The blonde chuckled quietly against his skin and slurped up whatever whipped cream remained in the area.

~*~*~

Justin couldn’t stop the groan of regret that seeped past his lips when he realized that there was no more whipped cream or chocolate on Brian’s ass. The sugary mess had tasted wonderful when combined with the taste of Brian’s skin and Justin was severely tempted to salvage some more from the waffles. 

While he was still considering it, Brian rolled himself over and pulled Justin down on top of him, kissing him savagely. Snaking his fingers into Brian’s hair, Justin returned to kiss with just as much passion, sucking on the brunette’s bottom lip when he tried to pull back for more air. Brian clutched at his hips, angling his pelvis so that their cocks were rubbing together.

Lifting himself up on his elbows, Justin stared down at Brian’s face, memorizing his expressions. The way he sucked in his lips, his long lashes fluttering against his flushed cheeks and his nostrils flaring with each heavy intake of breath. As the perspiration began to break out along his hairline, Justin dipped his head down to press an open-mouthed kiss to the center of Brian’s forehead.

“Eep!” Justin yelped as Brian wrapped a hand around his dick and immediately began to pump into the fist.

Brian snorted, a wide grin splitting his features. “That was very unmanly, Sunshine.”

Retaliating, Justin slid his hand between their bodies and began to fondle Brian’s balls. Brian groaned, but didn’t make any squeaking noises like he had. That only made Brian’s smile grow bigger, something Justin didn’t mind in the least.

~*~*~

The two teens were straining against each other, both attempting to bring the other off while seeking out their own release. They had rolled themselves over countless times, an amazing feat considering they were only on a narrow twin bed. In the end, when he could fight it no longer, Brian was stretched overtop of Justin, grinding against him.

“Plea... Bri, please.... Inside me....” Justin moaned, wiggling up until the tip of Brian’s cock was pushed into his perineum as Brian thrust forward.

Brian was just about to question the lack of lube when a small tube was shoved in his face. “Where did you...?”

“I know you’re hiding places,” Justin gasped, arching his hips up.

It took all of Brian’s self-control to stop thrusting against Justin’s sweat slicked body. His hands were trembling as he twisted the cap off the tube of lube and squeezed the gel onto his fingers. Justin’s hips rose up off the mattress giving Brian clear access to his fluttering hole. Knowing that neither of them would last much longer, Brian quickly, but thoroughly, loosened Justin’s hole before slicking up his dick.

Brian’s eyes bugged out of his head as he slowly slipped his cockhead past the tight ring of muscles that led into Justin’s anus. He meant to be careful about it, not wanting to hurt Justin, but the blonde took matters into his own hands, thrusting down on Brian’s shaft. Lowering himself back on top of Justin’s, Brian sought out Justin’s mouth as the two of them strained against each other.

The teens screamed into each other’s mouths as they climaxed within seconds of each other. Unable to hold himself up any longer, Brian flopped down on Justin’s chest. At the last moment, he realized that he was going to squish the artist and attempted to roll off him only to be stopped by Justin’s hips winding around his hips.

“Stay here. Please,” Justin mumbled into his hair.

“Gonna squish you,” Brian yawned as he snuggled against Justin’s chest.

The last thing Brian was aware of was Justin’s fingers carding through his damp hair before he drifted off to sleep.

~*~*~

“Are you sure this is about water conservation?”

Justin grinned up at Brian as he continued to lather the taller teen’s chest. “Most definitely. We’re saving Deb and Vic money by taking a shower together.”

“Even though our combined shower takes as long as the two of us showering separately would?” Brian pointed out, draping his arms over Justin’s shoulders.

“Shush. You’re spoiling the fun,” Justin chastised, lightly pinching Brian’s nipple to emphasize his point.

Brian jerked backwards, raising a hand to his abused nipple and lightly swatted at the blonde’s hip. “Be nice, Sunshine, or I won’t let you stay for the rest of the weekend.”

“Oh you know you want me to stay,” Justin taunted, grinning confidently.

Leaning in closer, Brian nuzzled his nose against the side of Justin’s. “Yeah, I want you to stay.”

~*~*~

“I’m glad we were only kids in the 80’s,” Justin mused as he lay sprawled between Brian’s legs on the couch in the living room. “Being a mobster is cool and all, but that guy’s house is just plain awful. Who has a glow up statue that says, ‘The World Is Yours’ in their living room?”

“Tony Montana?” Brian guessed, shrugging his shoulders as he reached for the remote to turn off Scarface.

Justin tilted his head back on Brian’s shoulder, grinning up at him. “There’s no need to be so logical.” Patting Brian’s thighs, he heaved himself off the couch and went over to the stack of DVDs next to the television to pick out his selection. “Bri, where’s my Spongebob?”

Moving quickly, Brian scrambled off the couch and rushed into the kitchen. “I’m heating up some pizza. You want any?”

“I want my Spongebob DVD,” Justin called after him. “It’s my turn to pick a movie to watch and I’m choosing Spongebob.”

“It’s not even a movie,” Brian said, glancing over his shoulder quickly as he reached into the fridge for the pizza leftover from the night before. “It’s a bunch of episodes of a TV show.”

“Then what was the Family Guy?” Justin questioned as he wound his arms around Brian’s waist from behind.

“A birthday present from my sister?”

~*~*~

It was close to three in the morning, but neither one of them had the energy to get off the couch and make their way upstairs to Brian’s bedroom. Brian had shut off the TV just over half an hour before with the thought that they’d be going upstairs to bed then. Except that hadn’t happened. Brian had simply stretched himself out next to Justin again, winding his long body around the slighter teen.

Lifting his head from the armrest, Justin stared down at the top of Brian’s head. He moved his head to the side just enough so that he could see Brian’s face in profile. There was moonlight seeping through the front window which cast Brian’s visible skin in a blue sheen.

“We should go upstairs,” Brian mumbled around a yawn. “The bed will be more comfortable.”

“I am comfortable,” Justin contradicted, clutching Brian tighter to him to prevent the soccer player from moving.

“You won’t be in the morning. You’ll be all stiff and have a crick in your neck,” he pointed out, half-heartedly attempting to wiggle out of Justin’s hold.

“I’ll deal with that then. Right now we sleep.”

He knew he’d won the argument when Brian’s breathing took on a slight wheezing sound. Then he slept too.


	29. Cohorts in Crime

The only thing keeping Brian grounded at that moment was Justin's hand in his. The last week of his life had been leading up to this very moment and now that it was finally here, he was completely terrified. It wasn't even that he was worried about his parents not being found guilty. Brian knew that wasn't an option. Deidre had done her job well. It had been obvious for the past few days that the jury was siding with the prosecution.

Barely more than an hour after they'd been dismissed, the jury had returned with their verdict.

"We the jury, find the defendant, Jack Aiden Kinney, guilty on all counts," the twenty-something woman who had been named the jury spokesperson announced. "We also find Joan Marie Kinney guilty on all counts."

The words had barely left the red-headed woman's mouth when Justin's arms wound around his shoulders in a sideways embrace. Brian leaned into Justin's side while on the other side of the gallery, Brian's family, minus Claire, broke out in enraged shouts. It got so loud that Judge Thiabaldi had to smash her gavel down several times to regain control of the proceedings.

“I want everyone quiet or else I'm clearing this courtroom," she bellowed, glaring in the direction of the Kinney clan. "The jury has made its decision and I must say that I agree wholeheartedly with their assessment. Mr. and Mrs. Kinney, the neglect you have shown your son is unconscionable. I am appalled that your children were not taken from you many years ago and can only hope that you did not cause any lasting damage to either so that they will be able to go on to have normal lives however they see fit."

While his parents were being escorted out of the courtroom by police officers, Brian remained in his seat. He'd thought that hearing the guilty verdict would provide some sense of closure for him. That he'd finally be able to put his old life behind him once and for all.

Only that wasn't the case.

Brian felt exactly the same when it was all over as he had that morning. If anything, he'd felt better in the morning when he'd woken up with his face nuzzled against the back of Justin's neck.

“You ready to get out of here?" Justin murmured in his ear once Jack and Joanie disappeared out a side door.

Brian stared at the closed door for a few moments then jerked his head up and down once. "Yeah. Let's take Rigby and get the hell outta here for a while."

Justin stood up then and reached into his right pocket. He fumbled around for a moment before triumphantly extracting his car keys which he immediately held out towards Brian. "Rigby's yours to command. Just remember, if you empty the tank you've gotta fill it back up."

~*~*~

The anti-climactic ending of the trial worked in their favour. All of the reporters more or less left the two of them alone as they made their way out of the courthouse, choosing instead to interview Deidre, Debbie and Claire. However, there were a few that tailed after the two teens who were attempted to sneak down the steps without notice.

“Mr. Taylor, what are your feelings about today's verdict?" the reporter from the channel 7 news asked as she shoved a microphone in his face.

When her cameraman turned to them, Justin saw Brian being to slink away out of the corner of his eye. He immediately latched onto the brunette's hand, halting his progress. "That it came too late. Yeah, Brian's parents are being locked away now, but it doesn't fix what they already did to him."

"And how about you, Mr. Kinney?"

Brian's eyes darted to Justin, panic suffusing the hazel orbs. "I, um...." He then sucked in a deep breath, pursing his lips. "I don't care about them one way or another. I haven't since the day I moved in with Deb and Vic. They're my family now. For the first time ever, I have a normal life and now that this farce is over I can go back to that life and forget that Jack and Joanie Kinney ever existed."

Squeezing Brian's hand, Justin gazed up proudly at his boyfriend. He couldn't remember ever being so proud of Brian. While it was still only a statement and that it had yet to be put into practice, the fact that Brian had been able to even say something like that was remarkable. Brian was face his demons head on and managed not to flinch.

"Let's go, Justin," Brian murmured, using his hold on Justin's hand to guide the other teen away from the reporters.

Justin followed willingly and wound his arm around Brian's waist as they reached the sidewalk. He felt like he was floating. For the first time since the morning their relationship had temporarily fractured, Justin felt completely content. Happy would take a little bit more distance between them and the trial, but Saturday's carefree proved that it was possible. It would get better too because from here on out they would not longer be existing under the spectre of Jack and Joanie's shadow.

~*~*~

"Um, okay.... Any idea where we're going?" Justin asked after they'd been driving for close to an hour. "Or were you just planning on driving until the tank emptied itself out?"

Brian frowned slightly and tightened his grip on the steering wheel. "I'm not exactly sure. On both counts. I'm just trying not to fall apart right now."

"Bri...?"

"Sorry," Brian mumbled, shaking his head slightly. "I should be happy, you know. My parents are being locked away and I can go on with my life like I never spent the first seventeen years of it being tormented by them. And we'll go back to school tomorrow and everyone will be staring at me like I'm more of a freak than I was last week. Hell, as far as those stuck up country club brats are concerned I was a freak before my life became a public forum. There was a fucking editorial about me in the paper this morning, did you know that? Some bored housewife was rambling on and on about how it's some fucking Greek tragedy that kids like me are ignored by society or some shit like that. I'm a fucking public service announcement.... Goddamnit sonofabitch!"

His rant was cut off as some fuzzy woodland thing darted across the road in front of him. Reacting on instinct, Brian swerved the jeep to the right and off the road. Brian slammed on the breaks, bringing the jeep to a stop just inches from a thick tree trunk.

"Holy shit!" Brian cursed once everything came to a halt. He immediately turned to Justin, reaching a hand up to cup the side of his face. "Are you all right? You didn't hit your head or get strangled by the seatbelt, did you?"

"I'm fine," Justin assured him, lifting a hand to cover Brian's which was still on his cheek. "My heart's doing the whole jackhammer thing, but that will be gone in a few minutes. What about you? Are you all right?"

Brian nodded his head mutely, his body beginning to tremble all over. "I'm fine. I... shit. I could have killed you."

"And if I'd been the one driving I would have been the kamikaze driver," Justin pointed out as he stroked his thumb along Brian's cheekbone. "It's no big deal, Bri."

"But I could have--"

"Shush," Justin admonished, squeezing Brian's lips together to silence him. "No one got hurt, not even the fuzzy thing that ran across the road. So you're going to put a cap on this drama queen moment you're having and drive us back to the Pitts or, at the very least, somewhere we can get food."

~*~*~

Justin was sitting on Brian's thighs, massaging the tense muscles in his shoulders and neck. He had foolishly believed that once the trial was over that everything would go back to normal. It had been nearly two weeks since the verdict and Brian was still acting out of sorts. He was tense, moody and Justin was just waiting for the moment when he broke. And Justin was terrified that he wouldn't be there when that happened because he knew that it would be an explosion that would lay to waste anyone who was in his path.

"Brian...." Justin sighed as he stretched himself across his boyfriend's back. He kissed the back of his neck as he slid his hands up the brunette's arms, twining their fingers together. "I'm really worried about you, Bri."

Brian squeezed Justin's fingers with his own, but remained silent as he drew their arms tighter around his body.

"You knew you can tell me anything, Brian," Justin murmured, tilting his head so that he was speaking into Brian's ear. "I want to help you, but I don't know how. I don't even know what's wrong. You've gotta help me out here."

"I'm fine, Justin," Brian insisted, not sounding the least bit convincing.

~*~*~

Snuffling, Brian scrubbed his hands over his face. It was nearly pitch black in his room, the only light coming from the streetlight which was filtered through his curtains. As he brought his hands down, he glanced over at his alarm clock, squinting to see the numbers through the haze of tears that filled his eyes. 3:26. Brian almost felt glad when he saw the time because it was close to half an hour later than he'd been waking up every other night for the past few weeks.

Everyone knew that something was bothering, but Brian couldn't bring himself to confide in anyone about what was going on. Not even Justin. He felt like such a wuss. He was seventeen years old, far too old to be having nightmares like some little kid.

Knowing that he wouldn't be able to fall back asleep again, Brian slid out from under the sheets and padded towards the door. He'd left the copy of Hamlet he was reading for English downstairs in the living room and figured that he could make a descent sized dent in it before having to pretend that he'd just woken up at seven-thirty so that Deb and Vic wouldn't expect anything.

"What are you doing up, kiddo?"

Brian started when he heard Vic's quiet question. He hadn't thought that anyone else would be awake so late in the night. Brian trudged down the last two steps and made his way into the living room where Vic was sitting in his customary seat in the rumpled, overstuffed chair in front of the window, snatching the paperback book up on the way.

"Couldn't sleep," Brian mumbled as he slumped down on the couch.

"You seem to be having that problem a lot lately," Vic murmured, setting aside the book he was reading.

His eyes went wide. Brian had thought he was doing a good job of hiding his nightmares from everyone.

"Don't worry, I haven't said anything to Deb," Vic assured him.

"It's really not that big a deal." Brian stared down at his lap, unable to meet Vic's eyes. "I'm just having a small bout of insomnia. I'll get over it before long."

The part he left out was that the reason his sleep was constantly being interrupted was that he was being haunted by dredged up memories of his childhood.

~*~*~

The documentary on the Cuban Missile Crisis had been interesting the first time he'd seen it in the 8th grade. Having seen it every year since, Justin was bored to death with it. Since it was too dark in the classroom to sketch anything, he glanced to his right where Brian sat on the opposite side of the aisle. Before he could make any sounds to get Justin's attention, he realized that his boyfriend was sound asleep, his head resting on his folded arms.

He was about to leave Brian to sleep and find something else to occupy his attention when he noticed that the expression on Brian's face was far from peaceful. His eyes were screwed up and his face was drawn into a scowl.

"Brian," Justin called in a sharp whisper. "Bri!"

The soccer player moaned slightly, his body contracting on itself as though he was protecting himself from a blow.

"Mr. Taylor, is there a problem?" the modern history teacher asked.

Looking away from Brian, Justin shook his head. "Um, no, sir. Everything's fine."

"Then pay attention to the movie," Mr. Densof instructed.

"Yes, sir."

Keeping his head facing the television set at the front of the classroom, Justin strained his eyes as far to the right as possible so that he could watch Brian. A few other people had noticed that Brian was sleeping and were snickering.

"Everyone quiet!" Mr. Densof shouted, smacking a ruler on the desk. "Watch the movie!"

Silence had returned for a few seconds when Brian let out a startled gasp, his eyes opening wide in a panic. He was gasping and staring around blindly. Brian got up immediately, stumbling slightly, and bolted out of the classroom.

"Mr. Kinney, where do you think you're going?" the teacher called after him.

Brian kept going as though he hadn't heard him, not that Justin thought he actually had. Snatching up both his and Brian's bags, Justin took off after his boyfriend.

"Mr. Taylor!"

~*~*~

Brian wasn't sure how it had happened, but he ended up on the landing that made up the third floor of the school. He leaned against the wall and slumped down to the ground, drawing his knees up to his chest. He felt as though he were going insane because every time he closed his eyes he saw the parts of his past that he'd always done his best to forget.

And now he'd had one of his freak outs at school. If he hadn't been enough of a freak before, he would officially now.

"Hey, babe. You forgot your bag."

Brian looked up when he heard Justin's voice. He tried to smile, but was sure that it ended up as only a grimace. "Hey."

"You all right?" Justin murmured as he climbed the last few steps and crossed over to where he was slumped before sliding down next to him. "You kinda bolted out of there in a hurry."

"Densof's not too pissed, is he?" Brian mumbled as he fiddled with the knee of his pants.

Justin leaned up against him, shrugging slightly. "I wouldn't know 'cause I kinda took off after you."

"You should go back. I don't want you getting into trouble because of me," Brian protested, still unable to meet Justin's eyes.

"Or we could leave," Justin suggested. "There's only about another fifteen minutes left in the day anyway."

"I have football practice," Brian sighed, leaning his head back against the wall. "You can go home, though. I'll be fine in a minute."

"Yeah, like I'm gonna buy that," Justin snorted, turning his entire body so that he was facing him. "I know that something's wrong, Bri. And I know that just saying what's wrong won't fix it, but it might help a little."

"Can we just _not_ do this now?" Brian demanded as he stabbed his fingers into his hair.

Not giving Justin a chance to say anything further, Brian hauled himself off the ground and stalked towards the stairs, making sure to grab up his backpack on the way. It wasn't that he was planning on hiding from Justin, he just needed to get away from that small landing so that he didn't feel quite so trapped.

"Brian!"

~*~*~

Justin stared at Brian's retreating back, not too sure how he should react. He wanted to take off after Brian and force him to talk about what was going on, but he knew that it wouldn't be the smartest thing he could do. Brian would feel trapped and lash out.

So instead Justin stayed up on the landing until he was sure Brian had made it at least down on flight of stairs before making his way down himself and out to the parking lot. Normally he would have stayed to watch Brian's football practice, but he wasn't too sure that it would be appreciated then. Still, as he was pulling out of the parking lot, Justin's eyes wandered over to the football field where the team was just wandering out of the building. He caught sight of Brian almost immediately, his shoulders hunched slightly and his hair sticking up in every direction.

He stayed where he was for a few moments, watching as Brian began stretching, before a car came up behind him and started honking and he was forced out of the parking lot.

~*~*~

There was no preventing the groan that escaped his lips as he lumped down on his bed later that night. He'd taken a solid pounding at practice, searching out more contact that was normally found football practices so that he could receive more of a beating. Brian was hoping that if he exhausted himself enough that he'd be able to sleep the night through without interruption.

The only problem with his plan was that he still had to stay awake for at least a few hours to get his homework done. But that was it. Brian's plans for the night were to grab a bite to eat, do his homework as quickly as possible then go to sleep. That was provided he could even coax his sore muscles into moving.

"Dinner's ready, kiddo!" Deb called from the bottom of the stairs. "Hurry up before it gets cold!"

Getting out of bed again required Brian to roll down the length of it so that he could topple down into a crouch, using the edge of the bed to pull himself upright. He staggered out of the room, reaching across his body with his right hand to massage his left shoulder where he'd taken an especially hard hit.

"You look like warmed over shit," Deb informed him when he appeared at the top of the stairs.

"Thanks, Deb," Brian smirked then ended up wincing slightly as he began to stagger down the stairs.

The waitress placed her hands on her hips and glared up at him. "What the hell happened to you? Did you get in another fight with that Hobbs kid?"

"No fight," Brian assured her. "Just your average afternoon of football fun."

The expression on her face to Brian exactly what she thought of his explanation. He had to give her credit, though, because she didn't say anything. Just a look and then she started back towards the kitchen.

~*~*~

For the past half hour, Justin had been sitting parked outside of Deb and Vic's house. He wanted to see Brian, but wasn't sure how the other teen would react to that. Brian had seriously been freaking out earlier in the day and Justin wanted to make sure that he was all right. He wouldn't force the issue, but hoped that he would be subtle enough to get a feel for how Brian was doing.

Justin let out a startled yelp when his cell phone rang. Before he even fished the phone out of his jacket pocket, he knew that it was Brian who was calling him. He didn't even get a chance to say "Hello" before Brian began to speak.

"So are you going to stay our there all night or are you coming in?"

~*~*~

"I come bearing food," Justin announced as he nudged Brian's door open with his hip. "Vic said that you missed desert so he sent this up with me."

The desert in question was two massive pieces of a rich Belgium chocolate cake that the older man had baked that afternoon. Brian had been craving a piece since he saw the cake sitting on the counter when he'd gone down to dinner, but by the time dinner was finished, he'd just wanted to go upstairs and lie down. On his way towards the stairs, he'd caught sight of the jeep parked outside of the house and knew that Justin would have stayed out there all night if he'd thought that Brian was still annoyed with him.

Except that he wasn't. If anything, it was himself that he was pissed off at for not being able to control his nightmares.

"I swear that it's their goal to make me fat," Brian chuckled as he sat himself upright on the bed, wincing slightly as he stretched a sore muscle.

"Well, Hanzel, I don't think you really have anything to worry about," Justin assured him. "It would take a very long time for them to get you fat."

Brian rolled his eyes, but nonetheless accepted the plate bearing his large piece of cake from Justin. "You don't living with a pair of Italian siblings who enjoy cooking lots of pasta. If It wasn't for my freaky teenage metabolism I'd be as big as a house."

Realizing that he was sounding ungrateful, Brian fell silent. If it wasn't for Deb and Vic offering to take him in that spring, Brian didn't know where he'd be. He could have been in some foster home in another city, far away from Justin. Thanksgiving was still more than a month away, but Brian knew exactly what, and who, he had to be thankful for.

"So, um... you probably want an explanation for what happened this afternoon...."


	30. Cohorts in Crime

"You're coming with us, Justin. You don't get a vote in this," Craig Taylor barked, slamming the pile of letters he was holding down on the counter. "You are a part of this family and you are going skiing in Colorado with the rest of the family."

"No, I'm not," Justin insisted, glaring up at his father who towered over him by several inches. "I'm staying in Pittsburgh so that I can spend Christmas with Brian. He's my family."

Craig rolled his eyes as he raised his hands to scrub over his face. "He's not your family, he's a phase. You'll get over it soon enough."

"Where the hell have you been for the past year?" Justin demanded, tossing his head back as he let out a snort of mirthless laughter. "I am in love with Brian. That is not something that's going to change any time soon. So you and Mom and Molly can go to Colorado and ski to your heart's content, but I'm staying here so that I can spend Christmas with my boyfriend."

"Doesn't that boy have his own family to spend Christmas with?" Craig tried, looking for another way to get Justin out of the city.

That sent Justin's temper on edge. "You know damn well what happened with Brian's family. Hell, all of Pittsburgh knows what happened. His sister is living in Atlanta and he doesn't even have Deb and Vic this year because they're going out of town to visit their sister. So unless Brian is coming with us to Colorado I'm staying here."

"Are you out of your mind?" Craig bellowed, his eyes bugging out of his head. "There is no way that you're bringing him to Christmas with my family. It's bad enough that my parents know you're gay, I'm not going to bring the proof on vacation with us."

"Why not?" Justin demanded, crossing his arms over his chest. "Callie's bringing her boyfriend and he's like eight years older than her. He's a high school drop out who can't even hold a job at McDonalds. Brian was the MVP for the state soccer finals and he's in the top five percent at school. Tell me again how Brian is supposed to be the embarrassment?" When Craig only glared at him, Justin answered the question on his own. "Let me guess, it's because we both have dicks?"

It took a moment for Justin to register the pain from his father slapping him across the face. Justin poked his tongue to the left, tasting blood in the corner of his mouth. He glared at his father as he turned his head back around, meeting his father's eyes head on.

"I hope you have fun in Colorado," he ground out before stalking out of the kitchen. "I'll see you in the new year."

~*~*~

Brian was surprised to see Justin standing on the front porch when he looked out the peep hole. As far as he knew, the blonde was supposed to be at home packing for his trip to Colorado. Folding his arms around naked torso, Brian opened the door to let his boyfriend in.... Said boyfriend who was also holding a duffel bag.

"I thought you weren't leaving until tomorrow," Brian said, scrubbing his hands over his arms as he backed away from the door so that Justin could enter.

Snatching off his gloves, Justin joined in the rubbing of Brian's arms. "Not that I'm complaining, but you need to learn to wear clothes when you're answering the door when there's two feet of snow on the ground."

"There's only one foot and I'm not naked," Brian defended himself as he took Justin's duffel bag from him. "Again, what are you doing here?"

"I'm hoping that you'd be willing to put me up for the next week or so while my family goes on vacation without me," Justin mumbled, glancing down at his feet.

"Wha...? Yeah, sure. Hopefully there will be an explanation between now and before we go to bed, but you can stay here," Brian stammered, heading deeper into the house to deposit Justin's duffel bag at the bottom of the stairs.

Brian had only just turned back around to face Justin when he found himself being pulled into an intense, plundering kiss that involved the blonde's tongue being shoved into his mouth. He was too shocked to respond at first, but slowly slipped one hand to cup the side of Justin's head while his other one moved to clutch at his lover's hip. That seemed to be all the encouragement Justin needed because the blonde more or less shoved him down onto the stairs. Brian plopped down on his butt which broke the kiss.

"Calm down, Sunshine," Brian murmured as he held Justin's cheeks between his palms. "I don't really feel like having stair shaped bruises on my back."

"Oh shit," Justin cursed as though suddenly becoming aware of his surroundings. "I'm sorry, Bri. I don't know what the hell I was doing. Are you all right?"

"I'm fine," Brian said immediately. "Confused, but fine. Do you maybe want to tell me why you're not going to Colorado with your family?"

~*~*~

A huge wave of guilt consuming him, Justin helped Brian to his feet. Brian kept a hold of his hand and guided him into the living room. Justin hung back just enough so that he could lightly run his fingers over Brian's back, soothing the damage he'd caused. Where Brian's back had hit the stairs were red stripes spanning the width of his narrow back. Justin hadn't meant to hurt Brian. He hadn't even realized that he'd knocked Brian into the stairs until the other teen had fallen.

When they reached the couch, Justin made Brian lie down on his stomach. Brian arched an eyebrow at the command, but nonetheless did what Justin asked, pillowing his head on his folded arms. Justin waited until Brian got himself situated before he climbed onto the couch, carefully straddling Brian's upper thighs.

"You don't have any plans for Christmas, do you?" Justin asked as he began to feather his fingertips down Brian's spine then along his ribs.

"Nothing besides going to the diner for turkey and cranberry sauce," Brian shrugged, burrowing deeper into the worn couch. "In case you haven't noticed before, I'm a piss poor cook."

"You make good Kraft Dinner," Justin defended with a grin, leaning over to press a kiss between Brian's shoulder blades. "The best I've ever had. However, I was thinking that we'd have something a little different for Christmas. Turkey and stuffing and I promise to even let you open the can of cranberry sauce."

"That's very generous of you," Brian chuckled, the sound tapering off into a moan as Justin's lips soothed a trail down the center of his back.

Now that he had Brian sufficiently distracted, Justin the massage in earnest. From practice he knew all of Brian's sensitive areas and paid special attention to them. Before long he had Brian practically melting into the cushions. He wanted his boyfriend good and distracted so that Brian would forget about why he was there and not getting ready to go to Colorado.

~*~*~

"I'm still waiting to find out why you're not spending Christmas with your family," Brian mumbled sleepily, his eyelids fluttering as he fought to keep them open. He knew that Justin was doing his best to put off talking about what had happened between him and his family, but Brian had no intentions of letting him do that.

"You are my family."

That brought an immediate smile to Brian's face. He'd known for a long time that Justin felt that way about him-- even during their time apart he'd known that --but he still liked to hear it aloud. The only thing that caused an even wider grin was when Justin said that he loved him. Until he'd heard it from Justin the year before, Brian couldn't recall a single time in his life when someone had said that to him. His parents certainly hadn't cared about him and he and Claire had always been very closed off about their feelings. Brian knew that his sister loved him, but it had never been something that was said aloud, at least not until Justin.

"I asked my dad if I could stay in the Pitts till after Christmas then go to Colorado for the last week of break, he said no," Justin said at last.

Brian knew that there was a lot Justin was keeping back, but didn't call him on it. He was sure that he'd find out what it was some time in the next two weeks. At present he was far more content to let Justin continue with exactly what he was doing to his back. He'd been working a lot of extra shifts at the grocery store for the Christmas rush and it was wreaking havoc on his back. Havoc that Justin doing wonders at correcting.

"You know, if you don't get into PIFA you'd make a fantastic masseur," Brian groaned contentedly, arching his back slightly so that Justin would pay more attention to the area he was currently kneading. "Or, we could get some body paints and I could be the canvas."

Justin leaned forward and wrapped his lips around the thick muscle at the corner of his shoulder and throat. He sucked on that bit of flesh, flicking his tongue across its surface. "If you're a good boy you just might find some in your stocking," he mumbled into the flesh.

"And what do you want in your stocking?" Brian asked, nudging his head back against Justin's. "Besides the obvious, that is?"

Justin nuzzled against his throat, his lips murmuring over his skin. "And just what is the obvious?"

"Chocolate," Brian responded immediately. "It's what keeps your bubble butt in shape after all."

Brian let out a rather unmanly squeak as Justin attacked his ribs with very nimble fingers. He began to writhe about on the couch, attempting to squirm free of Justin's torturous fingers. The only thing he succeeded in doing was bumping Justin up onto his knees which freed Brian's legs so that he was able to crawl forward a bit. He was also able to flip over onto his back so that he had a clear view of Justin and could easily reach the blonde.

The two battled it out, neither willing to admit defeat. They twisted and turned, each attempting to avoid deft fingers that knew the other's weakness. Weaknesses that were exploited without care because in the end it left both of them panting and pressed chest to chest on the couch. The only fault Brian could see with that plan was that both of them were wearing far too many clothes.

~*~*~

The thing Justin loved most about old houses was that they had real fireplaces and not gas ones. Gas fireplaces were all well and good when it came to keeping a house warm, but nothing beat an old fashioned fireplace for romantic Christmas Eves. Especially ones that involved him and Brian sprawled out on a mattress of pillows and comforters.

The pair had spent much of the evening there. Dinner had simply been delivered pizza and pop, consumed while they watched National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation. It was the exact same thing they'd done the previous Christmas Eve, a tradition that would be much easier to maintain the following year when they were living in their own apartment. It was the only thing that had been the same as the previous year.

Phase two had involved a joint shower.

The shower at Debbie's was a little cramped, but neither really minded too much. It gave them an excuse to partake in some extra fondling as they suds each other up, exploring every dip and curve. The suds also had them clasped together tightly when one would slip on the wet bottom of the tub. In Justin's case, some of those slips were intentional. It gave him an excuse to grab a quick fondle of Brian's ass.

Inevitably, showering together led to jerking each other off. It was far better than performing the act solo. Brian's nimble fingers traced absent patterns along the underside of his cock when he was teasing and added a second hand to fondle his balls when Justin's hips began to thrust forward of their own violation. Finally, when he needed just a bit more stimulation, Brian would nudge a finger behind his balls and Justin would be gone, slumping against his lover as he struggled to catch his breath.

Phase three was the fire.

While Brian set about lighting the fire, Justin set their presents up around the tree and locked the house up for the night. On his way back into the living room, Justin closed the front blinds so that no one would be able to peek in as he began to shed his clothes. By the time Brian turned away from the newly built fire, Justin was wearing only his boxers.

"Get over here, soccer boy," Justin grinned, crooking a finger in Brian's direction. "I want to open my Christmas present."

"That sounds like an opening line from a really bad porno," Brian snickered as he reached over to wind his fingers through Justin's.

"I was going for seduction," Justin pouted as he allowed himself to be drawn towards Brian, placing his hands on Brian's hips as soon as he was close enough so that he could slip his fingers under the hem of the shirt. "But if that wasn't clear enough, I'm hoping this works."

~*~*~

Brian kept his limbs pliant, allowing Justin to move and direct his body as he would as he stripped him out of his clothes. His shirt was removed first, tossed in the direction of the couch, and then Justin knelt down in front of him so that he could unfasten his jeans. Then Brian couldn't keep to himself any longer. He twined his fingers through Justin's hair, needing the contact on his side.

His jeans and boxers were pulled down in a single motion, leaving him totally exposed to Justin's eyes. Justin placed a wet, open-mouthed kiss on his half hard cock before helping him out of his clothes. Justin ran his hands over Brian's thighs, tracing the outlined muscles with the tips of his fingers and following them up towards his hips then up higher to his concave stomach.

"In case I haven't told you before," Justin murmured, tipping his face up so that their eyes met, "you're beautiful. Every line, every sinew is perfect. Even the scars."

Brian clenched his jaw, willing away the tears he could feel pricking the corners of his eyes. He hated the few scars that remained from his last run-in with his old man. They were very faint, and would continue to fade with age, but for the present the scars were visible to him whenever he removed his clothes.

Falling to his knees as well, Brian slid his arms around Justin's shoulders. He wanted to be close to his lover, body to body. He tipped Justin back, sprawling the smaller teen on his back so that he could remove his boxers. Brian leaned over and pressed a kiss to Justin's stomach, just above the elastic waist of his boxers, trailing his lips down Justin's hips and legs and he slid the boxers down. When they were off he stretched himself out overtop of Justin, angling his body so that their cocks were resting side by side.

"This is the best Christmas I've ever had," Brian murmured, leaning down to brush his lips against Justin's.

The blonde grinned broadly, reaching up to push his bangs away from his face. "It's not even Christmas yet. It's barely even eight o'clock."

Brian shrugged his shoulders then snuggled down on top of the smaller teen. "It's still the best."

~*~*~

Groaning loudly, Justin pressed his face into the pillow that was clenched tightly in his hands. He arched his hips back, grinding his ass into Brian's groin which caused the other teen to groan as well. Brian began to glide his hands up and down Justin's back, cock thrusting along his crack as he did so. Justin tried his best to angle his hips so that the tip of Brian's dick nudged against his hole, but each and every time Brian changed the angle of his thrust so that he was left unfulfilled.

"Brian, please...." Justin whimpered, turning his head so that his chin was resting on his shoulder, allowing him to see down the expanse of his back so where Brian was kneeling behind him. The brunette had his upper lip drawn in between his teeth and seemed to be concentrating hard on what he was doing. "It's Christmas. Be merciful."

"Not Christmas yet," Brian grinned, his eyes flashing up to meet Justin's for a brief moment before he leaned down to press a kiss to his spine.

"Bri-- AHH!"

The head of Brian's cock slipped in first and remained for a few seconds until Brian pulled his hips back, letting it slip back out. Brian kept this up for several endless minutes, each time inching in a little bit more, teasing him. By the third entry Justin's arms were shaking so badly that he had to lower his upper body onto the pillows that were supporting him, crossing his arms under his head. Two more thrusts and then Brian was in him completely, stretching himself out overtop of the blonde so that they were pressed together back to front.

Justin didn't want to move. Ever.

A thought that disappeared as soon as Brian began his shallow thrusting, circling his hips and creating wonderful sensations all the way from his scalp to the tips of his toes. Even his hair seemed to be tingling as Brian's shaft rubbed against delicate inner tissues. Stars exploded behind his eyes when Brian changed the angle of his hips, hitting his prostrate dead on. The only sounds Justin was capable of making then were whimpers and moans. Loud ones which increased in volume every time Brian's cockhead butted against that sensitive gland in his ass.

Sensory overload came a few minutes later when he felt Brian's lips on his shoulders and neck. Brian's body began to strain forward even more as the speed of his thrusts increased, allowing his nose to nuzzle against his hairline, his blunt lower teeth scraping over the skin just below.

"Oh God! Bri!" Justin gasped as he felt his muscles beginning to tighten, heralding the onset of orgasm.

Brian grunted in response, his own movements becoming jerky. Then he pulled out of Justin entirely, earning him an outraged shriek from the blonde.

"Want to... see... your face," Brian panted as he rolled Justin over onto his back.

Justin spread his legs automatically, reaching for Brian in order to pull him back in so that they could finish what they'd started. As soon as Brian's cock was once again sheathed in his slick hole, Justin was glad for the change of position because it meant he could see Brian's eyes and watch the almost imperceptible colour change that took place as his orgasm began.

A few more jabs at his prostrate, this time from an entirely new angle, and the outside world disappeared until he felt Brian's cum pouring into his ass. Blinking his eyes open slowly, Justin grinned up at Brian who was trembling above him.

"Love you," Brian gasped out as he collapsed on top of him.

Justin wound his arms around Brian's damp torso loosely, his muscles still mostly jello. "Love you too."

~*~*~

"So which Christmas do you think will be better? Number one or number two?" Justin asked as he burrowed himself up against Brian's side.

Brian pressed his lips to the top of Justin's head for a moment before resting his cheek against the blonde locks. "I don't want to jinx tomorrow. Let's just wait to fid out."

"I think it will be this year," Justin persisted. "Last year it was still a secret and we had to be all careful and secretive, hiding out in my room so that no one would find out. This year we're alone together and we're falling asleep on Christmas Eve in front of a beautiful fire... the embers of it anyway. This year is going to be perfect."

"Does that mean you're going to stop talking long enough for us to fall asleep and wake up on Christmas morning and not the day after?" Brian chuckled, pulling Justin tighter against him.

Justin wiggled around a little bit then stuck his left arm from under the blankets and held it up so Brian would see the face of his watch.

"It's already Christmas morning."

Brian pressed a featherlight kiss to Justin's temple then murmured quietly, "Merry Christmas."

"Merry Christmas."


	31. Cohorts in Crime

The movie was halfway over and there was still no sign of Justin. They were supposed to have met fifteen minutes before it started so that they had time to buy tickets and snacks before the movie started. At the five minute mark, after several failed attempts to get a hold of Justin on his cell phone, Brian had gone in to get his ticket, assuming that his boyfriend was simply late. Except now he was an hour and a half into the third Lord of the Rings movie and there was no sign of Justin. Several times he'd shuffled out of the theatre and attempted to call Justin only to get no answer.

Waiting for a lull in the action, Brian once again slid out of the theatre. That time he decided to call Justin's house. He didn't use the house line often, but he was really starting to get worried. It wasn't like Justin to be so late. Once out in the corridor, Brian fished his cell phone out of his pocket, turning it on before he even had it in front of him. He had to search through the directory on his phone to find the one for Justin's house and stared at it for a few seconds before initiating the call.

"Taylor residence," Justin's little sister chirped as she picked up the phone on the second ring.

"Molly, hey," Brian greeted as he switched the phone over to his other ear. "It's Brian. Do you know where your brother is?"

There were a few moments of silence then Molly whispered, "Daddy grounded him and took away his cell phone and car keys."

"Do you know why?"

"'Cause Justin stayed here with you for Christmas instead of going skiing with us," the little girl told him, sighing dramatically as though Brian should have already known that.

"Thanks, Molly."

~*~*~

"I'm not a child!" Justin shouted as he pounded against his door. "You can't lock me up just because you don't approve of the decisions that I'm making! And if you think this negative reinforcement thing is going to work, it's not! I'm going to keep seeing Brian no matter what you try to do!"

With another frustrated shout, Justin kicked the door and stalked back over to his bed, slumping down. The door wasn't actually locked, but Justin knew that he would be caught and sent right back in before he even got to the top of the stairs. Escaping out his window was also out of the question because it would undoubtedly end with him taking a tumble to the ground when he inevitably slipped on the snow slicking up his escape route. That and the fact all his shoes were downstairs in the hall closet. So for the moment he was effectively trapped in the house, but there was no way it would last the following day.

What pissed Justin off the most was the fact that he had no way of getting in touch with Brian who was waiting for him at the theatre. Since he'd gotten a cell phone a few years back, Justin had gotten rid of the phone in his room when it stopped working and hadn't bothered to replace it. He'd tried to bring the cordless into his room when he'd been banished there, but his father had caught sight of it and taken it from him which meant that he couldn't call Brian and tell him not to bother going to the movie.

It had taken a few hours, but he was resigned to the fact that he was stuck in his room for the rest of the night, Justin decided that he might as well do his homework. He didn't even have his history textbook out of his bag when there was a tapping at his window.

"What in the hell are you doing here?" Justin demanded as he stalked towards the window, already knowing who was on the other side. Then he pulled the window open and demanded in a loud hiss, "Are you completely insane? You could have broken your neck!"

"Hello to you too," Brian smirked as he heaved himself into Justin's room. "It was no trouble at all getting here."

Justin immediately pulled Brian into his arms, wanting to warm his chilled boyfriend. "You are completely insane, Bri. You could have waited till tomorrow."

"I couldn't wait till tomorrow," Brian said into Justin's temple as he hugged the blonde back. "Besides, it's not as much fun to ogle Legolas without you there to get jealous."

"Brat," Justin smirked, smacking his boyfriend on the back.

They separated then so that Brian could slip out of his jacket and other assorted winter gear. As soon as his scarf hit the ground, Justin latched onto Brian's hips and backpedaled until he felt his knees collide with his mattress. He stumbled for a moment before allowing his body to topple backwards onto his bed, pulling Brian down with him.

~*~*~

Brian was barely able to catch himself before he ended up squishing the smaller man. He held himself up on his forearms, snuggling his hips between Justin's spread legs as he attempted to balance himself on the edge of the bed.

"I'm sorry, Justin," Brian murmured as he idly ran his fingertips through the edge of Justin's hair. "I never meant to get you in trouble and I don't want to be the reason you're having so many problems at home. Maybe we could back off until after we graduate."

Justin's hands were immediately holding his face, forcing him to gaze into suddenly frantic blue eyes. "Did you fall down on your way up here and hit your head? There's no way anyone's ever going to make me give you up. I don't want to go through that ever again."

Sighing, Brian lowered himself carefully on top of Justin, stretching himself out overtop of his boyfriend so that they were pressed together full length. Even before Justin's arms moved to wrap around him, Brian knew that he'd never be able to give up the blonde. Not without losing a part of himself first.

The two of them stayed like that for a while, neither saying anything. There was a truth wriggling in the back of Brian's mind that he knew he and Justin were going to have to face in the soon to near future. It was still too soon for them to be getting any acceptance letters, but there was still the chance that they'd end up going to school in different cities. Brian was hoping for a scholarship of some sort, either for soccer or academics, so that he could actually afford to go. The best chance they had of staying together was if he was accepted to Carnegie Mellon and Justin got into the Pittsburgh Institute of Fine Arts. Without that they could very well spend the next four years apart.

"Where'd you run off to?" Justin whispered as he lightly pushed Brian's bangs away from his forehead.

Brian shook his head, not wanting to risk the chance of voicing his fears out loud. There was still a part of him that tended to be guarded where Justin was concerned. In his head he knew that Justin was the only person he could really trust, but he couldn't really forget what had happened that summer. He had gotten so used over the years to needing to protect himself and he couldn't let go of it completely. He knew that there would always be a few walls that surrounded him just like he knew that Justin would be able to find the secret doors to get past them.

~*~*~

There was something bothering Brian. All at once, Justin had seen his boyfriend shut down and lock himself away. It happened from time to time and Justin was never quite sure what to do when the walls went up. So he waited them out the same way he would wait a storm out, knowing that the clouds would pass and Brian would come out of it.

"What's gonna happen in September?" Brian mumbled, turning his head into Justin's chest as he spoke. "If we end up going in different directions? We could end up seeing each other only one weekend a month and holidays.... I don't want that."

Snaking both of his hands into Brian's hair, Justin guided his head up so their eyes met. "Brian, that's months away. Now I know that you're incredibly pessimistic, but we don't even know where we're going to school yet."

"But we could end up on completely opposite sides of the country," Brian protested, sucking his bottom lip in over his teeth. "If I get accepted to school in Atlanta and you go to New York...."

"We'll deal with that if it happens," Justin said sternly. "September is a long time away and we won't start getting letters back till like May. Also a long time away. So until then we're going to be happy. Blissfully so. Okay?"

"Blissful?" Brian echoed, lifting himself up so that only their groins were in contact. A few circular motions of his hips and Justin was groaning. "I can do blissful."

~*~*~

Brian sluggishly wrapped his arms around Justin's shoulders, drawing the blonde down onto his chest. He couldn't contain a groan as he felt Justin's softening shaft slip from his hole. Some of Justin's sweaty hair flopped over his mouth and Brian attempted to spit it out before wearily lifting one of his hands to push it out of the way.

"Love you," Brian gasped, shifting his body slightly so that Justin rested more comfortably between his thighs.

Grinning broadly, Justin pressed a kiss to Brian's chest, over his heart. Then Justin started wiggling around a bit which made Brian groan as the friction of Justin's wiry pubic hair against his balls sent a shiver up his spine. Justin kept up the jerky movements until he was able to draw his duvet up over them. With a contented sigh, Justin settled back down, his eyes sliding shut.

Brian watched Justin for a few moments, his fingers idly tracing patterns over the blonde's damp back. With a yawn, Brian allowed his body to relax. He wasn't going to sleep, but he at least wanted to doze lightly and regain his strength for a possible round two.

~*~*~

"What in the hell is going on here?!"

Justin came awake with a startled yelp, instinctively sliding upwards to protect Brian. He peered down at Brian's equally shocked face, the hazel eyes wide with panic. Justin offered Brian an apologetic smile then slid off the other teen, placing himself between his irate father and his boyfriend.

As he got himself situated, he could feel the mattress shift as Brian sat up behind him. The soccer player shifted forward just enough so that he was visible out of the corner of Justin's eye.

"Do you think you can shut the door, Dad?" Justin mumbled, glancing down at his lap in an attempted hint.

One that didn't register to Craig who continued to glare at the teens.

When it became obvious that his father wasn't going to back down, Brian let out a frustrated growl and clambered out of the bed without a care in the world.

That also happened to be the same moment Justin's mother came to investigate what was going on. "Oh my god! Brian, cover yourself up!"

"Then could you please tell your husband to shut the door so that we can get dressed?" Brian pleaded as Justin lifted a pillow to cover the brunette's exposed midsection.

"Craig, come on," Jennifer pleaded, tugging at her husband's arm. "Let's leave the boys alone for a minute so that they can get dressed. Please?"

"I expect the both of you to be in this room when we come back," Craig growled, pointing a finger at them.

"Yes. Fine. We'll be here," Justin stammered, nodding his head in his father's direction.

~*~*~

As soon as the door was shut, Brian let out a frustrated growl as he tore the pillow from Justin's hands and tossed it at the door. He hated the panic he had seen in Justin's eyes when Craig had thrown open the door. The panic that Craig had put there. 

That anger left him just as quickly and he glanced down at Justin, a sad smile twisting his features. "I'm sorry, Justin. I should have stayed away tonight. I never meant to make things worse for you."

Shaking his head, Justin reached out, one hand latching onto Brian's waist. "Don't be sorry, Bri. I'm glad that you were here tonight. And you didn't make things worse. Things have been bad from the get go."

Brian slumped down next to him on the mattress, pulling the blonde into an awkward hug. "Doesn't mean I can't feel bad for making it worse," he said against the side of Justin's head. He stayed against Justin for a few moments longer before rising from the bed in search of his boxers.

~*~*~

Justin remained seated on the bed for a few moments, watching Brian as he dressed. It was like watching someone prepare for battle. With each layer that his boyfriend put on, another layer went up; a barrier that would protect him those intent on lashing out at him. It didn't escape his notice, though, that Brian refused to put his socks back on. For some odd reason, the brunette had a thing against socks or footwear in general.

"If I have to get dressed, so do you, Sunshine," Brian smirked, tossing Justin's jeans at him.

Yanking the jeans from where they'd landed on his shoulder, Justin dropped them onto his lap. He offered Brian a tight smile then climbed out of the bed. "Promise me that you'll keep your temper in check. I'd rather not have you watch kick my dad's ass."

"As long as you think I could take him," Brian grinned, leaning forward to brush a quick kiss against Justin's lips.

"Definitely."

~*~*~

Brian kept himself half a step in front of Justin as the descended the staircase to the main floor. He wasn't sure what was going to happen, but he wanted to make sure that Justin didn't get hurt. That was his main concern, the same as always.

As the pair neared the living room, Brian could easily hear heated argument going on between Justin's parents. He turned back, ready to apologize for all the trouble he was causing, but was silenced by a stern shake of the head from the blonde. 

"Not your fault," Justin mouthed, giving Brian's arm an affectionate squeeze.

Brian wanted to believe him, but he knew that he was the reason Justin's family was constantly fighting. Before him, Justin had been living a calm upper middle class life before he showed up to wreck it all. He hated that he'd done that to disrupt Justin's life in the past year, but at the same time knew he wouldn't give up the past year for anything. Trailing on that same thought, Justin knew that the same year had been harder for Justin since his parents had found out about their relationship.

At the bottom of the stairs, Justin reached out and latched onto his arm, halting his movements. Brian turned around and was forced to look at Justin who was standing two steps above him.

"It's not your fault, Bri," Justin whispered, using his free hand to lightly brush Brian's bangs away from his forehead. "My dad would have found out some other way and things would have been just as bad. They probably would have been worse because I wouldn't have had you to help me deal with them."

"Doesn't mean I still can't feel guilty," Brian murmured sadly. There was no way that Justin would ever be able to absolve him of his guilt.

Justin looked like he wanted to say something more, but they were interrupted as Craig charged out into the hallway.

"Living room. Now."

~*~*~

It was obvious that his father was trying to intimidate them with his glare, but Justin felt oddly calm as he stood next to Brian.

"Do the two of you have anything to say for yourselves?" Craig demanded, crossing his arms over his chest. 

"That you need to knock?" Justin said automatically. "I'd like to think that I have a right to some privacy in my own room."

"So that you can get fucked in the ass like some kind of pervert?" the irate father scowled, shuddering as he said the words.

Justin was barely able to latch onto Brian's arm before the other teen charged forward to defend him. Pulling Brian back towards him, Justin wound an arm around his boyfriend's waist to make sure that he didn't try charging Craig again. "Well if you think I'm a pervert you must think very badly of yourself because I'm made up of half your genes."

"How dare you?" Craig hissed and would have advanced as well if Jennifer hand not placed a hand on his arm. "You will show your mother and I the respect we deserve."

"Then show the same consideration to me and Brian," Justin pleaded desperately. "I love him and that's not going to change just because you try to come between us. The only thing you'll accomplish is making me hate you."

"Justin!" Jennifer gasped, a hand going to her mouth. "You really don't mean that. He's your father."

"And Brian is my boyfriend. My lover. He's what makes me happy, Mom," Justin sighed at the end, a half smile quirking his lips. "I know you don't understand it, but it's the truth. I love him. Have from the very beginning."

"But you can't expect us to approve of the two of you having sex in our house whenever you feel like it," his mother protested as she wrung her hands together nervously. "I'd be the same way if it was your sister or if you were dating a girl. I just don't feel comfortable with that."

Sighing, Justin fiddled with his hair at his temple. "I get that, Mom, I really do. And if I actually believe that Dad was flipping out about that I would completely get it. But it's not. Dad is punishing me because I'm not following the plan he had for me. The greatest sin I've committed is having free will of my own."

"It's perverted, Justin," Craig said, apparently having had enough of staying silent.

"No it's not, Dad. It's perfectly natural," Justin said rather calmly. "And besides, at least while I'm getting fucked in the ass you don't have to worry about any unplanned pregnancies."

That earned him a quiet chuckle from Brian and a shocked gasp from both of his parents.

"Would you feel better if we gave you our word that we won't have sex in your house?" Brian offered, his tongue wandering over to his cheek in a sort of half smile, half smirk. "That we just stick to hanging out or doing our homework or whatever."

Craig gave a great huff of disbelief as he continued to glare at the teens. "Do you seriously expect me to believe that?"

"Do you really have a say in the matter?" Brian shrugged absently. "You can choose to believe us at our word or you can spend all your time worrying for no reason whatsoever. The choice is yours."

"Why you little...."

~*~*~

Brian didn't back down for one moment in the face of Craig's rage. If Craig thought that he could scare him he was sorely mistaken. The elder Taylor didn't even register in his mind when compared to what he'd faced with his own father.

"The way I see it, Mr. Taylor, you've only got a few more months with any type of control over what Justin does left. He's going to be eighteen in less than a month and four months after that we're planning on moving into our own place," Brian informed the older man as he sputtered and gasped like a fish.

"But you're just babies," Jennifer protested, whimpering slightly. "You're too young to be on your own."

Justin offered his mother a sardonic smile. "I think you'll agree that that's not the case, Mom. Not after everything that's happened this year."

Both Craig and Jennifer remained silent for a few minutes, staring at each other and having a wordless conversation much like he and Justin did quite often. Finally, Jennifer looked back at the two of them, pursing her lips momentarily. "Brian, Justin is going to drive you home now. Then you are going to come straight home, Justin, so that we can discuss your grounding. Understood?"

"Yes, Mom," Justin mumbled, his shoulders slouching.

Brian wanted to protest more, but he took his lead from Justin and followed the blonde out of the living room.

~*~*~

Upstairs in his bedroom, Justin pulled Brian into a quick embrace, comforted by the feel of Brian's arms around his shoulders.

"Maybe we could install a lock on your door," Brian mumbled against the side of his head. "Make it so they can't get in."

"Don't tempt me," Justin giggled, pulling back so that he could see Brian's face. "Maybe we can just stick to fucking at your place."

"Or there's that."


	32. Cohorts in Crime

Enemy Lines

 

"Mr. Hobbs, Mr. Kinney, this is becoming a very bad habit," Principal Bower drawled as the teens sat down in the plush chairs in front of his desk. "This is the third time this month that you have been sent here together and that is three times too many. Now would one of you like to explain to me what the problem was this time?"

"He tackled me during a game of basketball," Brian said, tipping his head in Chris' direction. "I took offence to it and punched him."

"You tripped over my foot," Chris protested, crossing his arms over his chest.

Brian glared at the other teen, a scowl on his face. "Which is why your arm slammed into my chest and took me out backwards."'

"I was just trying to steal the ball from you," the football player countered. "That's the point of basketball, after all."

"So where's embedding people into the hardwood found in the rule book?"

"That's enough!" the principal bellowed, cutting the teens off before they could really get the argument started. "I am at my wits end with the pair of you. The two of you need to learn how to coexist with each other. You have only four and a half more months left here at St. James not including spring break and Easter holiday. And during those four and a half months, every time the two of you are sent to my office for some infraction you will be immediately suspended. I don't care who started it, the both of you will be suspended."

Brian was caught off guard by Principal Bower's edict. Not because of the penalty levied against him, but because Hobbs had been included as well. Chris was always excluded from any sort of punishment. It was a precedent that even Bower normally followed seeing as how he was the one to set it.

"For now, though," Bower continued, leaning back in his chair, "the two of you are going to spend the rest of the day in the guidance office learning how to cooperate."

~*~*~

Justin was worried when Brian didn't show for class. The other teen normally showed up just before the buzzer, but never after and never once the Mrs. Spencer had started her lesson. The woman didn't even pause in the roll when Brian didn't give the expected, "here." It was almost as though she'd known that he wouldn't be there.

Since he didn't know why his boyfriend was gone, Justin's eyes periodically strayed towards the door throughout the period. He was thankful that he had lunch next so that he could at least spend the time searching for Brian. Still, despite his concern, a part of Justin remembered that he needed to take extra care with his notes so that Brian wouldn't fall behind on anything they'd learned that day.

Before the bell had even rung to signal the end of class, Justin was already stuffing his things into his bag. He only had forty minutes to find his boyfriend and planned on using as much of that time as possible to search him out.

As he was about to slip out of the classroom, Justin felt a hand on his arm, startling him. He was even more surprised to see that it was Mrs. Spencer who had stopped him. The woman was in her mid-twenties and was far more open-minded than any of the other teachers at St. James. She was the only one who had never punished him and Brian unnecessarily simply because they were open about their relationship.

"I'm sorry that I wasn't participa--"

"Brian will be spending the day in the guidance office with Chris Hobbs," Mrs. Spencer informed him, cutting off his fake apology. "Principal Bower sent a note to all of Brian's teachers."

"Did the note say why....?"

The teacher reached back onto her desk, retrieving the note and handing it over to Justin so that he could read it. Glancing over it quickly, Mrs. Spencer then handed it over to Justin. The blonde scanned the letter immediately, frantically searching for any information about what was going on.

"'Cooperative training'?" Justin gasped, staring up at Mrs. Spencer with wide eyes. "What the hell is cooperative training?"

"Something will bore even the sturdiest person to tears," she sighed, giving Justin's shoulder a sympathetic squeeze.

~*~*~

"If you were a tree, what kind of tree would you be?"

Brian felt pathetic for even asking the question. He couldn't believe that Jensky was making him ask the question or that it could possibly have any relevance to their so-called quest for cooperation. It was something that was never going to happen and it was time for the faculty to realize that the two of them were never going to get along. More than a year and a half into it and their feud was still going strong and, for his part, Brian had no intention of letting it go. Not after everything Hobbs had put Justin through over the years.

"I'd be a fucking oak tree," Chris drawled, slumping down still lower in his seat. "Who gives a fuck? Look, just hand me your sheet, I'll fill it out and you do the same with mine."

Wanting to have as little contact with the other teen as possible, Brian willingly handed over his survey. He didn't care in the least what the football player had to say and only planned on checking over Hobbs' answer to the extent that the other teen didn't make him look like a fool. Brian quickly filled out the sheet, answering all the absurd questions that the group of guidance counselors had decided would spur cooperation amongst peers.

What they didn't count on was that those peers would be as steadfast enemies as he and Chris were. It didn't matter how many role playing activities Jensky made them do or how many questionnaires they were force to fill out there would be no peace made between the two of them. 

"Hurry up, fag, I want to get out of here before lunch is over," Chris grumped as he scribbled madly on the sheet in front of him.

Brian shook his head in dismay, refusing to look over at the other teen as he continued to fill out the survey. "Real original, Hobbs. If you're going to insult me, you might want to pick something creative. Maybe shirt lifter, poufter, dandy and, there's my personal favourite, bum boy. That one just has a nice ring to it. Bum boy. It sounds even better if you have a Manchester accent."

Sneaking up a quick peek when he noticed that Chris' pen had stopped moving, Brian couldn't help but smirk at the shocked expression on the athlete's face.

"What?" Brian snorted, leaning back in his chair. "Am I not allowed to say things like that?"

Hobbs merely sneered in his direction, refusing to answer him.

Amused by the whole situation, Brian continued to fill out the form, sliding it across the table to Chris when he was finished. Not bothering to wait for the other teen to finish, he rose from the chair and stalked out of the guidance office in search of Justin.

~*~*~

There was no preventing a grin that appeared on Justin's face when he saw Brian start as he emerged from the guidance office. It took the soccer player a moment to register what he was seeing, but when he did he shared Justin's grin.

"Why am I not surprised that you're here?" Brian asked rhetorically, shaking his head in disbelief.

"Mrs. Spencer told me where you were so I figured I'd come and make sure you and Hobbs hadn't killed each other," Justin said as he pulled Brian into a quick kiss. "You ready for some food?"

Slinging his arm around Justin's shoulders, Brian began to guide the shorter teen down the hallway towards the cafeteria. There was a great deal of tension in Brian's body and he could tell that his lover needed to unwind or else there would be another bruise added to the new one on his right cheek.

~*~*~

Once again the pair ended up on their landing on the third floor, a tray of food piled between them. Brian relaxed and leaned back against the wall, glad to finally be able to let his guard down. He was also glad for the quiet, to be away from everyone that wasn't Justin.

"How's your head?" Justin asked, reaching over to brush his fingertips over what Brian assumed was a new bruise on his cheek.

Brian smirked slightly, leaning into Justin's touch. "My head's fine. It's solid rock, remember?"

Justin cupped his cheeks and pulled Brian's head forward so that he could brush a kiss against his forehead. "It's hardly made of rock, babe."

"'Babe?'" Brian echoed, arching an eyebrow.

"No 'babe'? 'Cause I was kinda hoping that 'babe' would work," the blonde pouted as he began to fiddle with the straw in his pop. The confused look Brian gave him was immediately met with, "You need a nickname."

"I need a nickname?"

"A pet name," Justin amended, his eyes fixed on the array of food in front of him. "Everyone needs a pet name."

Brian scrunched up his features, shaking his head. "No they don't. I'm perfectly happy being your Brian."

"My Brian?"

Leaning over, Brian snaked a hand behind Justin's head, guiding his lover into a lingering kiss. His lips brushed softly against Justin's, their hands caressing exposed flesh for a few moments before the sound of footsteps interrupted them. Brian finished the kiss, pulling away slowly with a smile tilting the corners of his mouth. He sat back against the wall, grinning as Justin blinked owlishly in an attempt to reorient himself.

"I definitely approve of being your Justin," the artist mumbled, a wide grin spreading across his features. He wiggled towards Brian, sitting so that he was leaning up against the younger teen. "Love you."

"You too."

~*~*~

Ten minutes after the final bell had rung, Justin was beginning to worry. He'd figured that Brian would be out as soon as possible given that he'd spent the entire day trapped in a room with Chris Hobbs. The only reason Brian would be lagging behind was that something had happened in the time between lunch and the final buzzer. He was about to get out of Rigby and head back into the building when he finally caught sight of Brian stalking out of the side door of the school.

The rigid set of his shoulders told him immediately that something had indeed happened between Brian and Chris.

Since there was no need to start a scene in the middle of the parking lot, Justin simply started up the jeep. He glanced repeatedly between the steering wheel and Brian's slowly advancing form, searching for any signs of whether or not he'd gotten into another fistfight with the other teen.

"You don't have to work tonight, right?" Brian asked as he slid into the passenger seat.

Turning his head towards Brian, Justin shook his head. "I don't work till the day after tomorrow."

"Then can you stick around at my place for a while then?"

Justin nodded his head, reaching over to finger the longer strands of Brian's hair that hung down over the top of his left ear. "Yeah. Sure."

The brunette leaned into his touch, a sigh shuddering through his entire body. Not knowing what had happened, Justin worried all the more. Brian had been in a good mood when he'd last seen him, no longer quite so tense even though Justin hadn't managed to get him completely relaxed. That would have been impossible in the forty minutes he'd been allocated.

~*~*~

"I'm gonna go grab a shower," Brian announced as he and Justin entered the house. "I feel dirty after spending all day with Hobbs."

"Want me to join you?" Justin offered, dumping his backpack next to the stairs.

Brian hesitated for a moment then shook his head. "That's okay. I'm just going to rinse off quick. I'll only be a few minutes."

Justin's brow furrowed in confusion, but he nodded his head. "I'll just heat up some of the Bagel Bites then. But I make no promises on there being any left when you get back down here."

There was no denying the uneasiness in Justin's mannerisms so Brian tried to placate him with a smile. He knew that he was acting suspiciously, but at the moment it couldn't be helped. He didn't want Justin to see the result of his end of the day brawl with Hobbs. The only reason he'd managed to keep the blood hidden from his boyfriend was because of his dark blazer. There'd be hell to pay when Deb saw the blood on his shirt and at least with Justin he could pass the bruising off as a result of his original fight with the football player. There was probably enough bruising in the area to hide the cut from Justin's view.

Brian was very careful as he slid out of his blazer, wincing slightly as he pulled on the gash on his side. Sure enough, the left side of his shirt was smeared with darkening blood. Before he started to unbutton the shirt, Brian made sure to lock the bathroom door. He didn't want Justin coming in and seeing the damage Chris had done when he'd slammed him against the corner of the desk in the guidance office. Brian had been sorely tempted to pay him back in kind, but couldn't risk getting suspended. He needed a scholarship if he was going to go to university in the fall so while Chris could get suspended without consequence, he couldn't.

"You okay in there, Brian?" Vic asked, knocking on the door.

Even though the older man couldn't see him, Brian nodded his head. "Yeah, I'm fine, Vic. I just didn't have time to shower after gym class."

"Justin's not in there with you, is he?"

Brian snorted, shaking his head in disbelief. "It's just me. Justin's downstairs making food."

"Why does that no surprise me," the older man mused to himself, his footsteps echoing down the hallway.

~*~*~

Justin was chewing nervously on his bottom lip as he retrieved the box of Bagel Bites from the freezer in the garage. Something had happened and the fact that Brian wasn't telling him what that something was worried him. Justin would have been a fool not to notice the way things had been escalating between the rival teens. Since almost the first day of school their feud had been getting worse, the pair coming to blows with increased frequency.

"One day I'm going to teach the two of you how to properly cook food," Vic announced, startling Justin who dropped the box of frozen snacks back into the freezer. "Some time soon because I can't let the two of you move out on your own with your pitiful cooking skills."

"I'll have you know that I can cook just fine," Justin smirked, once again reaching into the chilling depths of the freezer. "I just happen to like Bagel Bites. Same as Brian."

"Speaking of our favourite soccer player, how is it that he's having a shower and you're not there to scrub his back?" the older man wondered, arching an eyebrow as he waited for his answer.

Justin plastered a fake smile on his face, hoping that it reached his eyes somewhat. "He wanted to have food waiting when he was done."

~*~*~

Thankfully, once the blood had been washed away, the cut itself was mostly hidden in the swollen bruising that covered his side. It was still puffy, and very tender, but was definitely something that he could pass off as being the result of a bad fall against the bleachers in the gym.

Brian slipped back into his school pants, wadding the ruined shirt up in a ball as he moved towards the bathroom door. He paused in front of it, listening for a few moments to make sure that no one was moving around in the hallway. He didn't want anyone to see the massive bruise until it had a chance to settle and the swelling to die down. Assured that no one was out there, Brian unlocked the door, pulling it open just enough to poke his head out in a final examination before slipping completely into the hallway and darting to his bedroom.

~*~*~

Deciding that it was taking Brian far too long to simply "rinse off" Justin made his way upstairs once the oven had preheated and he'd slipped the baking tray of Bagel Bites in to be cooked. If Brian was still in the shower, he could simply join his lover and help him finish up. If not, Vic was downstairs and could take their snack out of the oven if the timer went off.

There were still some misty trails lingering in the open doorway of the bathroom so Justin knew that Brian hadn't been out of it for very long. If he was lucky, Brian hadn't finished changing into his normal clothes. Suddenly realizing that he was still in his school uniform, Justin quickened his pace. He kept some clothes in his boyfriend's room for occasions such as this.

"Hope you're not descent," Justin grinned as he opened the door to Brian's room.

There was a quiet chuckle, but then it became obvious that Brian was entirely too descent. He already had a black t-shirt on and was in the process of fastening the button on his jeans. Brian flashed a quick grin in his direction as he absently ran a hand over his wet hair.

"You missed your chance, Sunshine. I'm all squeaky clean now," Brian said with a tongue in cheek smirk.

Snorting softly, Justin shook his head and made his way over to the closet in search of the jeans and t-shirt he knew to be in there.

"I'm gonna go check on the food."

Justin was turning around, about to tell Brian that he didn't need to because Vic was down there, when he realized that the brunette was already out in the hallway.

~*~*~

Brian bounded down the stairs, a hand pressed to his left side to keep it from jolting too much. He knew that his ribs weren't broken, had probably only been bruised a little, but that didn't make them hurt any less. He was nearing the bottom of the stairs when he happened to glance towards the living room and saw Vic sitting in the over-stuffed chair, one eye on the television, the other on him.

"Any good cases today?" Brian asked, nodding his head towards the TV where an episode of Judge Judy was on.

Vic shrugged slightly, his eyes never wavering from the approaching teen. "A woman's trying to sue for emotional stress because her husband dumped a bowl of pudding on her head."

Brian arched an eyebrow. "You can do that?"

"She tried."

"Huh," Brian mused as he turned away from Vic and made his way towards the kitchen to check on the progress of the Bagel Bites. "Did she win?"

~*~*~

Some time during the second episode of the Simpsons, Brian had dozed off and by the time that episode was over he was in a deep sleep. The brunette shifted about on the couch, stretching his body, and the hem of his shirt lifted up enough for Justin to see the edge of what looked like a very large bruise just below his lover's ribs. He waved a hand around in front of Brian's face, making sure that the other teen was sleeping soundly, before sliding the black tee up even further to reveal the entire bruise. Justin's eyes widened when he saw the blackened, swollen skin that Brian had managed to keep from him all afternoon.

It suddenly became very clear to him just why Brian had been acting so oddly since they'd gotten out of school. What he couldn't figure out was why Brian wasn't telling him about it.

Brian shifted slightly, scrunching up his nose, and Justin immediately dropped the shirt back into place. He scooted away when Brian moved a second time, turning his attention back to the TV to momentarily pretend that he hadn't seen what had happened to Brian.


	33. Cohorts in Crime

It didn't escape Justin's notice that he didn't see Brian without a shirt until the bruise on his side could easily be written off as a gym mishap. And as awful as that injury had looked that first afternoon, what bothered Justin even more was that Brian hadn't told him about how he'd gotten it. Justin knew that it had something to do with the day he'd spent in the guidance office with Chris Hobbs, but what had really happened....

Feeling someone's fingers playing with the longer strands of his hair at the back of his head, a smile immediately appeared on his face. "Hey, Brian."

"Hey, Sunshine," Brian grinned, sliding into his seat across the aisle. Ever since his hair had started to grow longer, Justin had noticed Brian playing absently with it more and more. They could be walking along and Brian's fingers would suddenly wander into his hair. "So do you need any help setting up this afternoon?"

The question caught Justin off guard because he had barely even mentioned the show down at the GLC set for later in the week. He had more or less been goaded into including some of his art by one of the waitresses at the diner. Justin had never shown his stuff in any type of art show and was nervous about the whole process. He also wasn't entirely sure that he wanted his parents to find out about it because then they would want to attend and Justin knew that wouldn't end well.

"You really don't think I'm going to forget something like that, do you?" Brian questioned, giving Justin an odd look.

He was just opening his mouth to respond when the bell rang. Instead he nodded slightly in Brian's direction before turning to face the front.

~*~*~

For most of the class, Brian wasn't paying any attention to what the teacher was saying. His mind was elsewhere. In particular it was on a particular blonde sitting across the aisle from him. Brian knew that something was bothering Justin and had a feeling that it had something to do with his in school suspension a few weeks before. He couldn't be sure, but he was pretty convinced that Justin had seen the painful gash he'd gotten on his side when Hobbs shoved him into the corner of a desk.

Brian didn't actually know why he was keeping it a secret from Justin. Or any of the other bruises that had resulted from his feud with the football player.

Then there was the art show at the GLC. He'd seen Justin agonizing over what sketches he wanted to submit when the other teen thought he wasn't looking. In his own head, Brian couldn't understand why Justin was so worried. As far as he was concerned Justin was an amazing artist. One of the best he'd ever seen. Granted, he was extremely biased, but at the very least Justin was the best that Pittsburgh had ever produced.

Not much of an artist himself, Brian nonetheless made a valiant attempt at his self-appointed project. He scribbled madly, glancing occasionally at the clock to make sure he didn't run over time and then over at Justin who would give him odd looks from time to time. Brian would flash him a confident grin and then return to what he was doing.

He finished his little stick person comic strip about five minutes before the bell rang. It was childish thing, but he knew that Justin would appreciate the effort. But then he began to second guess himself. Brian nearly tossed the thing away only it was snatched out of his hand by Justin when the bell rang signaling the end of class.

"What's this?" the blonde questioned, meeting Brian's eyes briefly before turning his attention down to the piece of paper clutched in his hand.

Brian pursed his lips and said nothing. Instead he began to stuff things into his back pack, waiting for Justin's reaction. He turned his head when he felt a pair of arms wind around his waist, his eyes immediately meeting Justin's bright ones.

"You don't need to apologize for anything," Justin murmured, leaning his chin against Brian's shoulder.

"Yeah, I do," Brian sighed, still not able to completely voice the words that he knew Justin needed to hear.

~*~*~

If it hadn't been before, it was now completely obvious to Justin that Brian was trying. It also added to his increased suspicion that there was some increasing battle between Brian and Chris Hobbs that he knew nothing about. The thing that he couldn't figure out was why Brian would be doing such a thing. His lover should have been able to confide in him. Brian always had in the past.

Justin didn't doubt that Brian's failure to confide in him had a lot to do with what had happened that summer. Even though they had renewed their relationship, Justin noticed that Brian still didn't always confide in him. And he could understand Brian's reasoning. The other teen didn't want to get hurt again. Justin hated himself for that. That he had done that to Brian.

"Why do you think you need to apologize?" Justin murmured as the two of them made their way out of the classroom. "What do you think you--"

"I know you saw it, Sunshine," Brian sighed, ducking his head down. "And I know you're worried."

"Then tell me what's going on," Justin demanded, whirling around to face the other teen. "What's happening between you and Hobbs?"

~*~*~

Brian let out a deep breath, his pursed lips trapping the air inside his lips. In all honesty he wasn't entirely sure what was happening with Hobbs. That he hated the other teen was not in question. The football player had been doing his utmost to make his life hell and Brian was doing the exact same thing to him. Hobbs didn't deserve to get off scott free after everything he'd done to Justin over the past years.

"I don't know what to tell you," Brian said at last, scrubbing a hand through his hair. "It's not something that I can really explain. It's just...."

"Why didn't you tell me about the bruise on your side?"

"I have a soccer meeting. I've gotta go or I'll be late," Brian mumbled, pausing to brush a quick kiss against the corner of Justin's mouth before he took off in the opposite direction.

~*~*~

Justin could only stand there, dumbfounded, as Brian practically bolted down the hallway. He knew Brian enough to have seen the panic in his eyes before he spun away. If he hadn't thought so before, he was definitely convinced that something was wrong with Brian and that Chris Hobbs was at the center of it.

Not in the mood to deal with everyone else, Justin wandered off to the art room. The art show at the GLC was in a few days and he still hadn't decided on all the sketches that he was going to put on display. A lot of his work was of Brian, his sometimes reluctant model, and Justin didn't want to put those in the show because everything that he decided on would be put up for sale. The very thought of his intimate sketches of Brian being on sale would be disturbing not only to him, but undoubtedly to Brian as well.

"Is it okay if I hang around in here for a while?" Justin asked the art teacher, Ms. Brandt, as he poked his head into the room.

The absent-minded, slightly eccentric teacher glanced around the canvas she was painting at and inadvertently smeared a glob of red paint across her cheek as she went to brush her hair out of her eyes. "Mr. Taylor. What a pleasant surprise. By all means, pull up a stool."

Justin smiled his gratitude and made his way over to one of the large drafting tables and pulled several of his sketchbooks out of it. He was allowed six pieces and he hadn't even been able to choose one.

"I definitely think you should include that one," Ms. Brandt said, startling Justin who hadn't realized that she was standing behind him. "The stretch of Brian's neck is very elegant and the way it flows down to his shoulders... superb. It's all very gracious."

"But it's Brian," Justin protested, glancing at her over his shoulder.

"Not enough of Brian for it to be recognizable, though," she countered as she snatched the sketchbook up from the table. "It's just his shoulders, neck and the bottom of his jaw. All very simply done which make it that much more alluring. Anyone who isn't familiar with your work wouldn't recognize your model."

"Not on Liberty Avenue."

~*~*~

Brian scrubbed his hands over his face as he waited beside the jeep for Justin to show up. He'd handled lunch badly. Brian desperately wanted to tell Justin about what was going on with Hobbs, but every time he tried he couldn't get the words out. He panicked. It made no sense whatsoever, but it still happened every time.

When he saw Justin emerge from the building, Brian straightened up. He offered Justin a tight lipped smile as he waited for his boyfriend to approach.

"Look, Justin, I'm sorry about--"

"Don't worry about it," Justin interrupted him, his smile a genuine one. "When you're ready you'll tell me."

In that moment Brian felt lower than a speck of mud. Or the worm that crawled around under the mud. So he nodded his head, winding his fingers through Justin's as he pulled the artist to him. "I really am sorry, Justin. I don't know what's wrong with me."

Justin raised himself up higher and brushed a kiss against his lips. "It's okay, Bri. I get it. I really do."

"That makes one of us," Brian grumbled, letting out a frustrated growl.

~*~*~

Not for the first time, Justin considered suggesting that Brian talk to some kind of professional about what had happened the previous fall. Brian needed to talk to someone. Needing to work through everything that had happened to him before it destroyed him. But Justin knew that Brian wouldn't go for something like that. The soccer player was incredibly secretive and didn't like to share things with strangers. So Justin kept silent, waiting for Brian to come to the decision on his own.

"I don't mean to be such a freak," Brian mumbled as Justin pulled out of the school parking lot.

Justin reached over, squeezing Brian's thigh lightly. "You're not a freak, Bri. You're just a little... unbalanced."

"Thanks. I feel so much better," Brain smirked, shaking his head in disbelief.

Even with his sarcastic response, Justin knew that his boyfriend was relaxing somewhat. He sat back in the passenger seat, his fingers tapping a pattern against his thigh along with the drumbeat of the song playing on the radio. Justin was glad that Brian was relaxing. Whatever was happening with him, Justin was glad that his boyfriend was momentarily calm. Hopefully they could just enjoy the afternoon and not have to worry about anything.

~*~*~

"That's me."

Staring over Justin's shoulder at the picture that was being framed, Brian was surprised to see himself reflected back at him. He knew that Justin had made lots of sketches of him and honestly didn't mind at all except when he was forced to model for said pictures. However, it was normally only the two of them that ever saw those sketches.

"Well, it's not all of you," Justin defended himself, turning his head to gaze up at the other teen. "Not everyone will know that it's you. Very few people will."

"You don't have to defend your decision," Brian assured him as he crouched down next to Justin. "It's your art after all. Besides it's not everyone who gets to be the model of such a talented artist."

Scowling, Justin swatted at Brian, knocking the soccer player on his rear. He laughed at the effect of the blow. That blow turned quickly into a squeak of alarm as Brian latched onto his arm and pulled Justin down on top of him. Brian allowed himself to recline completely on his back, taking Justin with him.

"That wasn't very nice, Sunshine," Brian taunted, lifting his head up to brush the tip of his nose against Justin's.

"The look on your face was worth it, though," the blonde grinned. "It's nice to be able to get the upper hand once in a while."

Brian frowned at that. He didn't like the idea of Justin feeling as though he was in a subordinate position in their relationship. He wanted them to be equals. It was how he had always viewed them. If anything, in his mind, Justin should have been the dominant one. He was the stronger of the two after all. In an emotional sense, anyway. Physically Brian was the stronger, but that was only because of all the sports he played. But while Brian could hold his own in a fight, Justin was the braver of the two of them. The one who kept them from falling apart. Himself in particular.

"Where'd you go to?" Justin murmured, lifting himself up so that he was sitting between Brian's spread thighs.

"No where in particular," Brian sighed, heaving himself up on his elbows before clenching his stomach muscles to pull himself to a seated position. Now that he was practically sitting in Justin's lap, Brian wound his arms around the artist's shoulders, holding him so their foreheads were touching. "I love you, Justin, and I don't want anything to ever hurt you."

~*~*~

Brian's ominous words hung with him for the rest of the day. Justin didn't want Brian to feel as though he had to protect him. He was perfectly capable of looking after himself. Even against Chris Hobbs. And while Justin fully believed that he could look after himself, he didn't resent Brian for whatever he was doing. He couldn't, because he knew that Brian was doing what he thought was best.

It was close to nine when they finally left the GLC. They'd been finished for a few hours, but had spent the time eating pizza and hanging out the other artists there. By far they were most definitely the youngest, but there were some who were only in their early twenties and were easy to talk to. Sally, the girl who worked at the retro store that the two of them frequented when they needed new clothes, was there along with her girlfriend, Irina. In that duo, Irina was the artist. A tattoo artist who also dabbled in photography.

"You, Picasso, are in dire need of a tattoo," Irina informed him as he went for his sixth piece of pizza. "Every artist needs a tattoo. Your soccer player has one."

"Doesn't mean that I need one," Justin grinned, looking expectantly at Brian who was only nodding his head in encouragement. "I don't need a tattoo."

"But it would be sexy as hell," Brian said as he wound his arms around Justin's waist, pulling the blonde back against his chest. "Dark lines against that pale skin of yours. It would be amazing."

Somehow Justin had let them win the argument and the following week he and Brian were going to get a matching pair of tattoos. In a way it was silly and romantic, but still Justin marveled at the very idea. With the tattoos, even if they were ever apart, it would still be as though he had some of Brian with him. He would be able to look at it and know that Brian had the exact same design imprinted in his skin.

Justin was conferring with Brian over what they should get tattooed when they emerged from the GLC. The smile that had been on his face disappeared the instant that he saw Chris Hobbs walking down the sidewalk in their direction.

He reached for Brian only to find that his lover wasn't next to him.

~*~*~

The instant he set eyes on Hobbs, Brian bounded down the steps to the sidewalk. The football player had absolutely no right to be on Liberty Ave. Brian knew that the other teen was only there to gawk at the people who were only living their lives in the way nature had intended. Hobbs would only ridicule them and he had no right.

"What do you think you're doing here, Hobbs?" Brian growled as he stalked over to Hobbs and the snickering group he was with.

"I'm here to see all the freaks," he snickered, earning him snorts of laughter from his friends.

Brian rolled his eyes, a smirk appearing on his lips. "Around here, you're the freak, Hobbs. You're the one who's outnumbered. So why don't you go back to where you came from and leave us be."

"You can't tell me what to do," Hobbs snorted, glancing over his shoulders at his friends for encouragement.

"No, but I can tell them about what you did," Brian smirked confidently.

"Shut the fuck up, Kinney," Chris hissed, advancing on him.

Only becoming more confident, Brian crossed his arms over his chest, glaring at the other teen. "Hey listen up, everyone!" Brian shouted to the crowd that was starting to gather around them. "This is Chris Hobbs. He goes to my school. Chris doesn't like fags. Or maybe... maybe Chris likes them a little too much. You see, Chris let me give him a hand job. And he _loved_ it. Didn't you, Hobbs?"

The crowd around them was laughing and crowing in delight while Hobbs stewed. Brian could see the absolute rage in the other teen's eyes, but he couldn't care less. The guy deserved it after everything he'd put Justin through over the years.

"You're fucked, Kinney," Hobbs ground out as he stalked past Brian, shoving the brunette out of the way.

Brian only grinned broadly, proud of what he'd done. Then he looked over at the steps leading into the GLC and Justin. Justin who looked as though he'd just had his heart ripped out.


	34. Cohorts in Crime

Realizing just what he'd done, Brian felt his entire world drop out from under him. Justin knew. The one thing he'd never wanted Justin to find out about and the blonde knew. And he'd found out in the worst imaginable way. Even if Hobbs had been the one to tell him it wouldn't have been as bad. Because he'd said it out of anger, out of spite.

He'd effectively killed their relationship and he'd done it for no worthwhile reason whatsoever.

"Justin...." Brian murmured, turning completely towards the stairs where Justin stood with his deer in the headlights expression. "Jus...."

Before Brian could even climb the first step, Justin had bolted back into the GLC.

Knowing that it was probably a bad idea to confront Justin right away, Brian nonetheless charged after him. He needed to fix what he had just broken. Brian was terrified that if he didn't fix things right away that they would never be fixed. That he would lose Justin. Losing Justin once already had nearly destroyed him and he didn't think that he could go through it a second time.

"Justin, wait!" Brian shouted as he chased his boyfriend through the displays set up in the GLC's main hall. "Please! Just wait!"

"Leave me the fuck alone!" Justin screamed back at him.

Brian shook his head, speeding up so that he got close enough to latch onto Justin's arm. "Please, Justin. Stop. Justin, please."

Justin whirled around, his eyes flashing dangerously. "You have one chance, Brian. One chance. Tell me that you were lying. That you were just trying to get a rise out of Hobbs. Tell me and I'll believe you."

"I wish that I could," Brian snuffled, scrubbing a free hand over his face. "I wish that I could take all of it back. But it happened. I wanted to bring Hobbs down a notch and I found a way to do that back in September."

"September?" Justin gasped, wrenching his arm away from Brian. "You've kept this secret since September? How could...? God, Brian!"

"I'm sorry, okay," Brian tried, desperate to take away the pain he could see in Justin's eyes. The words sounded lame, even to his own ears, but he didn't know what he was supposed to say to Justin. "I don't have an excuse. I wish that I did. I wanted to do something that would hurt that fuck Hobbs so when the opportunity presented itself...."

"You've gotta be fucking kidding me!" Justin snorted, rolling his eyes. "That's the lamest excuse I've ever heard."

"Well it's the truth," Brian insisted, starting to go on the offensive. "Do you remember our first day back in the fall? When Hobbs used you as a punching bag? Well I took offense to that! I don't want to see anyone hurt you! So I did what I thought would makes Hobbs leave you alone and turn all of his attention on me. So I'm not going to apologize for what I did. I just hate the way you found out."

~*~*~

When he'd first seen Brian about to confront Hobbs, Justin hadn't been sure what to think. He'd been worried about the football player doing something to hurt his boyfriend since Chris had a group of friends with him, but before he could do anything about it, Brian had begun to speak. Justin wished he'd never heard what came out of Brian's mouth next.

In those few minutes Justin felt his entire world collapse in on itself. It had been one thing for him to have seen Brian lying curled up around someone else, but to hear from the soccer player's own lips what he'd done with another guy was far worse. Sure it had just been a handjob and they hadn't even been together at the time, but that didn't make it hurt any less.

"So you don't feel the slightest bit of remorse for what you did?" Justin demanded, doing his utmost to ignore the tingling in his eyes that heralded oncoming tears. "You were with someone else!"

"I gave an asshole a handjob," Brian defended himself. "It meant shit all to me and did exactly what I'd intended it to. I'm the one that Hobbs goes after now. You're kept safe and that's what's important and if you can't understand that then fuck you!"

With one last glare in his direction, Brian turned and stormed out of the GLC. Justin was so shocked that he couldn't react. Then his anger was spurred to new heights when he realized that he was the one who'd been betrayed and Brian was acting as though he was the injured party. He growled as the door slammed shut after Brian and took off in the opposite direction, intending to go out the back.

Along the way, Justin passed by his own display and the sketch of Brian that he'd placed in the centre. Acting on pure impulse, Justin smacked his hand against the side of the frame and grinned when he heard it shatter on the hardwood floor a few seconds later. He didn't care about the state of the picture. It could be ruined for all he cared, torn to pieces by the broken shards of glass.

"Fuck you, Brian Kinney!" Justin shouted as he burst out into the alley behind the building. "Fuck you! Fuck you! FUCK YOU!"

Each shout was punctuated by a solid kick to the opposite wall. On the last kick, he got the angle wrong and there was a sudden pulsating pain shooting from his right foot. Screaming, Justin toppled forward, catching himself on the wall with his forearms at the last moment so that his head didn't connect with the bricks. His scream having tapered off the a few pitiful whimpers, Justin attempted to hobble out of the alley and back to the sidewalk.

"Oh shit!" Justin cursed when he accidentally placed too much pressure on his toe, his knee threatening to buckle under him. "Goddamnedmotherfucker!"

Once he was sure that he wasn't going to topple over, Justin was much more careful with his hobbling as he stumbled towards the mouth of the alley. He was silently cursing himself for having parked two blocks away from the GLC. It was going to take him a long time to get back to Rigby and he only hoped that he didn't fall flat on his face and make a fool of himself in front of all of Liberty Avenue.

"Hey! Taylor!"

~*~*~

Brian jogged the entire way back to home. He'd started off at a brisk walk, but once he'd cleared the congestion of Liberty Avenue in the early evening he'd started running. He needed to keep moving or else he would stop to think about what had happened. How stupid he had been. How much he'd overreacted. 

With a sudden burst of speed, Brian sprinted past his home and continued on down the street. He had far too much energy and needed to get it all out of his system before he went home. If he was lucky neither Deb nor Vic would notice that anything was wrong and he would have a chance to fix things with Justin the following day.

How he was going to do that was completely unknown to him.

The more that he thought about it, though, the more uneasy he felt.

Brian's stride was thrown off when his cell phone began to ring. He stumbled slightly then came to an abrupt halt as he fished the phone out of his pocket and hit the button that would stop it from playing "Let's Hear It for the Boy." Before he could do that, however, he was startled to see Justin's name on the display screen.

"Hey, Jus," Brian murmured affectionately as he brought the phone to his ear.

"Try again," someone who definitely wasn't Justin sneered from the other end.

Brian knew immediately who it was.

"What the fuck are you doing with Justin's phone, Hobbs?" Brian growled, already turning back towards Liberty Avenue.

The football player giggled maniacally into the phone, the sound echoed by several other voices in the background. "Just thought I'd let you know that your boy toy had a little mishap at the GLC. It seems he got a little roughed up."

"You're fucking dead, Hobbs!" Brian shouted as he picked up the pace. "I'm gonna kick your ass!"

"I'd like to see you try, Kinney."

The call disconnected then. Brian was already running at top speed towards Liberty Avenue when he shut off his phone. He didn't bother to put it back in his pocket, but held it tight in his fist as he sprinted towards where he'd last seen his lover. He could only pray that Justin wasn't hurt too badly by Hobbs and his goons.

~*~*~

If he never had to move again, Justin would have been very happy. Every part of him ached and there were particular stabbing pains as he pulled himself into a seated position so that he could lean against the wall of the building. As long as he was sitting still, it didn't hurt too much. It was more like a dull ache.

Justin had been dimly aware of Hobbs calling Brian with his cell phone. He knew that Brian would come. He didn't doubt it for a second even though they'd been fighting less than an hour before. After making the call, Hobbs and his friends had fled the alley, leaving him alone in the dark. Somewhat absently he wondered where his cell phone had ended up, but that thought soon drifted away.

Then suddenly there was a bright light and sirens.

~*~*~

There were police cars and an ambulance surrounding the front of the GLC as Brian approached it for the second time that night. His panic increased and he was terrified about what he would find.

"Justin!" Brian screamed as he shoved his way through the crowd. "Justin!"

"Brian...."

He nearly stumbled to the ground when he heard Justin's plaintive call. Between people's shoulders he could see his boyfriend being strapped down to a stretcher. When he finally broke through the edge of the crowd, Brian bolted immediately to Justin's side, slipping easily through the grasping hands of the police officers.

"Bri," Justin whimpered, reaching a hand towards him. 

Brian slid his fingers through Justin's splayed ones as soon as he was close enough. Something inside of him broke when he saw the blood and bruising that covered Justin's exposed flesh. Justin shouldn't have been hurt. Brian had never wanted Justin to feel that kind of physical pain. He'd done everything he could think of to prevent it for so long and now it had happened. If it hadn't been for Justin's pathetic, pained whimpers, Brian would have gone after the football player to repay what he'd done.

"Do you know the victim?" one of the paramedics asked as they began to move Justin towards the ambulance.

Scowling at the man who'd spoken, Brian followed after them, having no intentions of leaving Justin. "He's not a victim. And yeah, I know him. He's my boyfriend."

There was a snort from the man, but Brian ignored him completely. Justin was what was important and he wasn't going to leave Justin alone.

~*~*~

"Where's my son?! I demand to see my son!"

Justin groaned when he heard his mother's shrill scream and turned further into Brian's arms. Since the doctor had left ten minutes before, Justin had been lying curled up against his boyfriend. He hadn't been given any pain meds yet because the ER doctor was worried about his drug allergies so it was Brian's fingers against his temples that was distracting him from the pain.

When there was movement in the doorway, Brian began to slip away from him. Having none of that, Justin clutched at the other teen weakly, not wanting to lose the comforting presence.

"Stay. Please," Justin murmured against the curve of Brian's jaw.

"As long as you want me to," Brian promised him and Justin immediately relaxed against him.

The tension returned seconds later, however, when Justin's parents burst into his cubicle. Justin squeezed Brian as tightly as he could manage, knowing that at any moment all hell was going to break loose.

"Oh, Justin!" his mother whimpered as she rushed up to the side of the bed and began running frantic hands over his shoulder and down his arm. "Sweetheart, what happened? The police said that you'd been in a fight."

Justin snorted almost painfully, wiggling still closer to Brian. "I didn't get in a fight, I got jumped by Hobbs and his followers. Big difference."

"That doesn't sound like something the Christopher would do," his father defended the other teen. "He's a very upstanding young man unlike certain other people who attend St. James."

~*~*~

It didn't take a genius to figure out who Craig Taylor was talking about. Brian knew immediately that it was him the older man was referring to and it took every ounce of self control for him for him to keep from reacting. Justin didn't need him and his father was going at it in the hospital. The two of that often enough without the need for an audience.

"Brian had nothing to do with this," Justin insisted, struggling into a more upright position. "He wasn't there when it happened."

Except what Justin was leaving out was the fact that it was his fault that Hobbs had gotten so worked up. Brian knew for a fact that Hobbs wouldn't have attacked Justin if he hadn't confronted him and outed him in front of half of Liberty Avenue. If he had just let the football player walk away Justin wouldn't have gotten hurt.

So this time Brian didn't let Justin stop him from slipping out of the bed. He couldn't be there because he knew that it was his fault that Justin had three cracked ribs, split lip and a lot of bruising around his eyes resulting from his broken nose. It was his fault that Justin had been hurt and the very thought of it made him sick to his stomach.

Brian felt bad for leaving Justin at the mercy of his parents, but he knew that the blonde would be better off.

~*~*~

Justin only realized that Brian was gone when he caught sight of his boyfriend's retreating back as he exited the room. He wanted to call out to him, but he knew that Brian wouldn't be able to hear him over the sound of his parents arguing. So Justin did the only thing he could do which was sink as far back as possible into the pillows behind his head. They would wear themselves out soon and if not Justin was sure that some hospital official would tell them to be quiet.

"Look!" Justin shouted, interrupting their argument. "It wasn't Brian's fault. He wasn't there when it happened. Chris has had it out for me since we were four years old and it's not like this is the first time he's tried to permanently damage us. He swung a tire iron at Brian's head last year. So excuse me if I think the guy's a little psychotic."

~*~*~

It was well after midnight by the time Brian got home. First he'd had to give a statement to the police about what had happened that night and after that he just hadn't been able to go back to the house. He'd wandered around for a few hours, no destination in mind, just needing to clear his head. He still wasn't entirely ready to go home, but he knew that he'd get in trouble if he wasn’t home soon.

For a moment, Brian thought he'd get away with getting home after curfew, but then he passed by the living room and saw Vic sitting calmly on the arm chair that faced the main foyer. When he saw the older man staring at him, a frown on his face that made Brian feel even more guilty.

"You're lucky that Deb's went to bed early or she'd be very vocal right about now," Vic said calmly, leaning forward to place the book he'd been reading on the coffee table.

Brian frowned, scratching absently at his forehead. "I outed Chris Hobbs in front of a bunch of people in front of the GLC and he attacked Justin because I wasn't there to stop him. Justin got hurt because of what I did. I was trying to keep him safe and I got him hurt instead."

His voice broke at the end and he felt a few tears trickle down his cheeks. Before he could stop himself, sobs broke loose from his throat and he slumped back against the wall, sliding to the floor. His entire body shook with the force of the sobs as he broke apart at the bottom of the stairs.

"I wanted to protect him. I wanted him to be safe, but I was so fucking stupid and made things worse," Brian shouted hoarsely as he scrubbed his hands viciously over his face and up into his hair, making the chestnut streaks stand up on end. "It's my fault that it happened."

Vic crouched down in front of him, grunting slightly as his joints protested to the movement. "Nothing that happened is your fault, kiddo. That Hobbs boy is a trouble-maker and hopefully someone will finally call him on it before he does something worse."

"But that doesn't make it any better," Brian moaned, staring up at Vic with watery hazel eyes. "That doesn't make Justin not be hurt any more."

~*~*~

It was two in the morning when Justin was finally released from the hospital. He felt groggy, ached all over and wanted nothing more than to curl up in Brian's arms and go to sleep. Except that Brian was gone. He'd disappeared hours before, leaving Justin alone and at his parents' mercy.

"You're staying home from school tomorrow," his mother ordered as she ushered Justin into his bedroom. "You need to rest, your doctor said so."

Justin shook his head as he carefully slipped out of his jacket. "No, I'm not. I’m little sore, but I'll live."

"Justin--"

"I'm not gonna hide away like some sissy faggot," Justin barked, speaking louder than he'd intended. "I'm going to school tomorrow and I'm gonna show Hobbs' friends that I'm not scared of them. Because, I'm not."

"You're hurt, Justin. That boy hurt you and I'm gonna see to it that he pays for it," Jennifer promised him, reaching up to cup his cheek. "Now get some rest. We'll talk about this in the morning."

Justin waited until she closed the door behind her before picking up the cordless phone on his nightstand. He held it tightly, brushing his fingers over the buttons.

But he didn't call.

Instead he set the phone back down and carefully lowered himself down onto his suddenly massive bed. Justin let his hand fall down on the empty side of the bed where Brian should have been. 

Where he wanted Brian to be.


	35. Cohorts in Crime

As long as he didn't breathe too deeply, Justin felt relatively all right. He was very careful as he made his way down the steps, not wanting to show even the slightest bit of pain or else his mother would try to force him to stay home. And while Justin would have appreciated the chance to stay home and let his body rest, he needed to see Brian. Justin knew how the other teen's mind worked and there was no way he'd allow Brian to blame himself for what Hobbs had done.

As furious as he was for what Brian had done, how betrayed he felt, he couldn't let Brian suffer. Brian was far too sensitive for his own good. He felt everything so deeply, took everything upon his own shoulders even when he had nothing to do with the transpiring events. And as endearing as that quality was, it also infuriated Justin because Brian was prone to blaming himself for things he had nothing to do with.

"I really think that you should stay home today, Justin," his mother said as he entered the kitchen.

"I'm fine, mom," Justin sighed, lying through his teeth. He felt awful, but he wasn't going to stay home and leave Brian to face Hobbs and the rest alone.

"No you're not, sweety," Jennifer protested. "Your face is all clenched up and your body is stiff. Have you taken your pain medication?"

Justin nodded his head, slipping carefully into his usual seat at the table. "I need to go to school today. I'll go stir crazy if I'm stuck at home all day."

Jennifer frowned, but kept silent. Molly came bouncing into the kitchen then, her eyes going wide when she saw the bruises on her brother's face.

"What happened to you?" Molly demanded as she hopped up onto one of the chairs. "Is Brian okay?"

"I got into a fight last night and yes, Brian's fine," Justin answered immediately, fiddling idly with the glass of orange juice in front of him while he waited for his chocolate Pop Tarts to finish cooking in the toaster.

"Will you give Brian a kiss for me and tell him I'm glad he's all right?" Molly mumbled into her bowl of cereal. Almost from the beginning, Justin had been aware of Molly's brush on Brian. He thought it was adorable, especially when Molly would get all flustered when Brian would kiss her on the cheek.

And even though he didn't know how things with Brian were going to go that morning, Justin smiled and nodded her head. "Sure, Mollusk. As soon as I see him."

~*~*~

It had been a long time since Brian had rode his bike to school. Since the end of September Justin had picked him up every morning or they'd simply gone in together if one had spent the night at the other's house. He'd left early to make sure that he made it across town to St. James before the bell and was shocked by the sight that greeted him when he pulled up in front of the private high school.

Chris Hobbs being led from the main doors in handcuffs.

Brian was flabbergasted by what he saw. Chris Hobbs was being arrested. The other teen was finally being made to pay for everything he'd done to Justin over the years. That Hobbs was being arrested though truly amazed him. That was the last thing Brian would have ever expected to happen.

The only problem was that Brian knew that Hobbs wouldn't stay in lock up for long. His parents would bail him out as soon as possible and then things would probably only get worse. After having to spend time in jail, the football player would be out for blood like he never had before.

It was worth it, though. In Brian's mind at least. Hobbs’ needed to realize that he wasn't invincible. That he couldn't simply do whatever he wanted and not face the consequences. If the police department had any sense of justice, Hobbs would be charged with something and have to face some sort of penalty.

"Do you have any idea what this is about?" Brad, his fellow soccer player asked as he came up beside Brian.

"Hobbs and some guys attacked Justin last night. Put him in the hospital," Brian said, doing his utmost to keep any emotion from his voice.

"You're shitting me!" Brad gasped. "Justin all right?"

Brian kept his eyes locked on Hobbs as he was led towards the waiting squad car. "He has some cracked ribs and a lot of bruises. They ganged up on him in an alley. Bastard deserves everything he gets."

For a moment, just as Hobbs was climbing into the police car, their eyes met. Brian kept his expression blank but Hobbs.... There was something very frightening in Hobbs eyes.

Climbing off his bike, Brian began to make his way to the bike rack at the side of the building. It took a moment, but then he heard Brad come running up beside him. The goalie kept silent for a few moments, but he was obviously working up the nerve to ask Brian something. He could see the other teen opening and closing his mouth repeatedly.

"Whatever it is, Brad, just ask. I'm not gonna bite your head off or anything," Brian said while he locked his bike to the rack.

Brad hesitated a little bit more before finally asking, "How come you’re not with Justin? I figured you wouldn't want to let him out of your sight after something like that."

"Justin's better off at home without me," Brian mumbled, refusing to meet his teammate's eyes. 

~*~*~

Justin stared wide-eyed at the cop car pulling away from the school. In his wildest dreams he'd imagined such a thing-- with Chris Hobbs being in the backseat --but he'd never thought to actually see such a thing. Not at St. James. As he passed the front of the school, Justin was even more startled when he saw Alice Lanfair sobbing in the center of a circle of her friends.

"That means...."

Even after what had happened the night before and the fact that the police had been involved, Justin couldn't wrap his mind around the possibility that it really had been Hobbs in the backseat of the squad car.

Justin saw Brian moving towards the back entrance of the school as he pulled into the parking lot. He wasn't sure if Brian would acknowledge him, but he honked the horn anyway. Brian jerked his head in his direction as soon as he heard the sound and Justin waved in an attempt to gain his attention. It was an endless few seconds before Brian raised his hand in a half-hearted wave and started towards the student lot.

Justin parked in the first available spot and slid out as carefully as he could manage. He was barely able to hold back a gasp as he reached back in for his backpack, but did his utmost to block out any sign of pain from his face as he went to meet Brian who was slowly making his way over to him.

~*~*~

After last night, Brian hadn't expected to see Justin at school that day. He'd thought that his boyfriend would be at home, probably still sleeping of whatever pain meds he was allowed to have. Instead, Justin was pretending not to feel whatever pain he was obviously in.

"You should be at home," Brian said when he was a few feet away from the blonde.

"What that really Hobbs that got picked up by the police?" Justin asked instead, shifting uncomfortably under the weight of his backpack.

Brian reached over and took the bag from Justin, doing what little he could to help with the pain. "It was Hobbs. I'm not sure how serious the cops are about it, but they had him in handcuffs."

"Wow," Justin murmured, making a half-hearted attempt to take back his backpack. "That's something I never thought would happen."

"Yeah," Brian agreed softly.

The pair made their way silently into the building. Brian opened and closed his mouth repeatedly, meaning to ask Justin how he was, but he chickened out. Brian was completely aware of just how insane it was for him to be scared to be acting that way, but it was happening just the same. For the first time ever, Brian felt nervous around the person he loved more than anything in the world. Brian would willingly trust Justin with his life and now he felt as though everything was falling apart around him.

~*~*~

Justin waited until they got to Brian's locker before placing a hand on his boyfriend's arm. He was startled when he felt the muscles trembling under his fingers.

"Brian, are you--"

"I should be the one asking you that," Brian mumbled, staring straight ahead at the closed door of his locker. "You were the one who was attacked. You got hurt. Not just by Hobbs, but by me too. And I hate that. I hate that I hurt you and I know that it's not right, but I wish that you'd never found out about what I did with Hobbs. Because I love you. I love you so much that I can't see straight when I'm around you. You smile and that's everything to me. Then yesterday I single handedly killed something inside of you. Deny it all you want, but I know it's true. I saw it in your face. And I'm never going to be able to forget that as long as I live. And there's no way I can ever make it up to you, but I swear that I will never hurt you again...."

Brian seemed to run out of steam then. He sagged for a moment then turned to meet Justin's worried gaze. When Justin saw the tears swimming in Brian's beautiful hazel eyes, he immediately pulled the taller teen into his arms, ignoring the jolts of pain that stabbed through his abdomen.

"I may not fully understand it, but I understand _why_ you did it," Justin said quietly, nuzzling his nose against Brian's. "It's who you are. You were trying to protect me in your own unique way."

"But I didn't have to do it the way I did," Brian snuffled brokenly.

Justin pressed a kiss to the bridge of Brian's nose and squeezed him even tighter. "You didn't. It doesn't matter, though. It's over and done with and we're both fine."

~*~*~

Brian didn't believe what Justin was saying. There was no way that Justin could forgive him so easily. Compassionate as Justin was, there was no way he could be so forgiving.

"Don't just say what you think I need to hear," Brian murmured as he took a step back. "Because as much as this hurts right now, I'll survive. It's what I do."

"And you don't think there's anything wrong with that?" Justin demanded, keeping his hand on Brian's arm even as the soccer player attempted to move further away. "You should be able to enjoy your life, not just survive it."

Snorting quietly, Brian raked a hand through his hair. "Not everyone gets that option, Justin."

Carefully extracting himself from Justin's hold, Brian took yet another step back and then another until he was out of arm's reach. He could see the confusion in Justin's incredibly expressive eyes, but it was something that needed to be done.

~*~*~

Justin could only stare in shock as Brian walked away from him. He'd known that Brian was deeply affected by what had happened the night before, but he'd never expected something like that to happen. That Brian would just walk away so easily.

He opened his mouth to call out to his boyfriend, but caught a movement out of the corner of his eye and realized that they'd drawn a crowd. Straightening his shoulders, Justin turned and walked off in the opposite direction. He wasn't going to give them anything else to talk about. Besides, Justin knew a roundabout way to get to where he assumed Brian was going. There was still ten minutes before homeroom and the brunette would need to compose himself before class began.

Except that when he got to the landing in front of the third floor storage room Brian wasn't there.

Justin waited there until he heard the homeroom bell and there was still no sign of Brian. So he did the only thing that he could and went to class. They had modern history together just before lunch and even though he was desperate to see the other teen, he would have to suck it up and wait.

Then Brian wasn't in their history class.

Justin couldn't find him at lunch. He would have tried to contact Brian on his cell phone, but Justin didn't have his. Hobbs had taken it and Justin didn't know what he'd done with it. So instead Justin divided his time between wandering the halls and making frequent trips to the third floor landing.

Brian didn't make an appearance in photography either.

By then Justin was beginning to panic and instead of going to his calculus class, Justin went to the office and played up his injuries so that he could be signed out.

He needed to find Brian.

~*~*~

It had been several years since Brian had been to that particular spot. When he was younger and things with his parents would get really bad, Brian would camp out at a secluded area of the wooded park near their house. He'd always been able to hide there without worrying about anyone finding him. There were times when he was a kid that he'd spent entire weekends camped out there, hiding from his parents.

Now he was hiding from Justin.

Justin was being far too forgiving. He was just going to let him write off what he'd done with Hobbs and Brian couldn't let him do that. Brian deserved to suffer for what he'd done. He'd betrayed Justin in the worst possible way-- he'd done exactly what Justin had accused him of that summer --so he needed to pay the consequences.

So Brian was going to hide until he could figure out a way to make sure that Justin didn't suffer anymore because of him.

~*~*~

Justin had been everywhere that he could think of. He went to all of Brian's usual haunts and even searched the mall through twice. Periodically he would search out a payphone and call Brian's cell. Each and every time there was no answer and Justin began to worry, but left a message on Brian's voice mail each time. He silently cursed Hobbs for trashing his cell phone because it meant that he couldn't have Brian call him. Instead he just had to keep calling and hope that his boyfriend would answer.

"Where the hell are you, Brian?" Justin sighed as he pulled out of the mall parking lot.

_"Have you ever been camping before?" Justin asked as they began unloading their supplies from the back of the jeep._

_"Technically," Brian said, bobbing his head from side to side._

_Justin arched an eyebrow in Brian's direction as he hefted his duffel bag from the jeep. "How can you have 'technically' been camping?"_

_"There's this park near my house," Brian started, leaning up against the side of the jeep. "When I was a kid, I used to sometimes spend the weekend in this wooded section of it when things got bad at home. Just me, a sleeping bag and some books. I always felt safe there."_

With no other place left to check, Justin turned the jeep towards Brian's old neighbourhood.

~*~*~

Brian wanted to be surprised when Justin appeared in front of him. He really wasn't, though. Justin always managed to find him regardless of whether he wanted to be found or not.

"Hey, Sunshine," Brian murmured, offering Justin a tight smile.

"There's a poll going on at school right now about which one of us is the bigger drama queen," Justin said as he carefully lowered himself down next to Brian on the grass. "Last I heard you were ahead, but that was at lunch."

"You're gonna win, you were in the play last year," Brian pointed out, allowing some of the tension to leave his face.

~*~*~

In the silence that fell then, Justin took a chance and leaned up against Brian's side. He released a sigh of relief when Brian carefully draped an arm across his shoulders and allowed the tension to leave his body.

"I really meant it before when I said that I forgive you," Justin whispered into the silence that followed. "You did what you thought you had to do. I might not approve of the method, but I understand your reason. Because if the situations were reversed, I'd do everything I could to keep you safe."

"But I could have--"

"Don't start that," Justin interrupted him, twisting about as quickly yet carefully as possible. "You did what you did. And hey, it ended up with Hobbs being arrested and nothing beats that, right?"

Brian pursed his lips, but kept his eyes focused straight ahead, away from Justin. "Hobbs got arrested because someone called the cops after he attacked you. I could have just as easily done the same thing."

"They wouldn't have done anything because it would have been one teenager's word against another's."

~*~*~

Brian snorted and slumped down onto the grass, and covered his face with his hands. "You're forgetting one very important thing, Sunshine. Hobbs is a trust fund brat from the country club set and I'm white trash who happens to have enough athletic talent to get a scholarship. Who do you think they're gonna believe?"

"They're going to believe the truth," Justin said automatically.

"What planet are you from, Justin?" Brian demanded, dropping his hands down on either side of his head. "My word counts for nothing against Hobbs'. I'm just the punk who happened to get a lucky break and got to play with the rich kids."

"Do you really believe that?"

"That they'd take Hobbs' word over mine? In an instant," Brian confirmed, turning his head just enough to meet Justin's eyes. "I love how idealistic you are, Sunshine, but the truth is the truth. And the truth is that Hobbs' word causes a lot more than mine as far the Pittsburgh PD is concerned. I'm nothing to do. They wouldn't have done anything about what my parents did to me if the district attorney wasn't running for reelection and I make good campaign fodder."

"Why do you...?"

The corner of Brian's mouth turned up in a smile. "Unlike you, I happen to read more than just the comics and the art section."

Even though it obviously hurt him to do so, Justin stretched himself out alongside Brian. "There's nothing wrong with the comics. I happen to know that you're a fan of them too."

"That Garfield's a pretty funny cat."

~*~*~

The silence returned once again and Justin wrapped an arm across Brian's waist, snuggling against his boyfriend's side. It took a few minutes, but eventually Brian's arms came around him, holding him close.

"I love you, Brian," Justin said into the brunette's shoulder. "And I don't ever want to have to go through what we did last summer."

"Neither do I, but I don't want to hurt you either," Brian sighed, hugging him close. "And I know that what I did hurt you. Is still hurting you."

Justin tilted his head back so that he could see Brian's face. "Then promise me that it won't happen again. Promise me and I'll believe you."

Brian hesitated for a moment, but then he met Justin's eyes. "Is it really that easy?"

"To me, yeah," Justin said honestly. "I trust you, Brian. And if you say it won't happen again, I'll believe you."

"I swear that I will never _ever_ do that again," Brian said earnestly, touching his forehead to Justin's.

Justin smiled widely, tilting his head just enough to brush their lips together. The kiss was very light, barely more than a touching of the lips, and when it was over Justin lowered his head back onto Brian's shoulder.

They stayed there for the rest of the afternoon, savouring the atmosphere and each other's company.


	36. Cohorts in Crime

_Dear Mr. Brian Kinney,_

_We here at the Pennsylvania State University are pleased to inform you of your eligibility for a full four year athletic scholarship as well as a place on our men's soccer team...._

After reading that first sentence, the acceptance letter dropped from Brian's suddenly nerveless fingers. He'd been offered a full ride scholarship to Penn State. He'd been told of the possibility by his coach after the scout had made an appearance at one of their games a few weeks before, but until he'd gotten the letter Brian had just pushed it aside. Things like that just didn't happen to him.

"So?" Deb demanded, practically bouncing up and down. "What does it say?"

"It says that they're gonna pay for me to go to school there if I play soccer for them," Brian gasped, still not fully believing the words even as he said them aloud.

There was an excited squeal from Deb and Brian found himself engulfed in a breath-stealing hug. When Vic finally managed to pry Brian out of her arms, the older man opted for a more relaxed embrace, pounding Brian on the back.

"I'm so fucking proud of you, Brian!" Deb cheered, pulling him into yet another hug, this one slightly more subdued. "You're going to college!"

"Well I haven't said yes yet," Brian deadpanned, earning him a sharp blow upside the head from the be-wigged woman. "Ow! Watch it!"

"Don't you fucking joke about things like that!" Deb shouted, this time aiming for his shoulder.

"Enough with the abuse," the teen smirked, rubbing his shoulder. "I'm not that stupid. Of course I'm taking the scholarship."

"Then I say we go out and celebrate," Vic suggested, clapping his hands together and rubbing them slightly. "But you'd better go shower first, Brian. You still have a grass stain on your cheek."

~*~*~

_Dear Mr. Justin Taylor,_

_The Pittsburgh Institute of Fine Arts is pleased to inform you that you have been accepted to our visual arts program for the fall of 2004...._

"I got in," Justin breathed, flashing his mother a broad smile. "I got into the PIFA."

"Oh, sweety, that's wonderful," Jennifer cheered, leaning over to brush a kiss to his cheek. "I'm so proud of you."

"What about Dartmouth?" his father demanded as he entered the kitchen. "Have you received an acceptance letter from them yet?"

Justin pursed his lips and carefully set the letter from the PIFA down on the counter. "I didn't apply there."

"What do you mean you didn't apply there?" Craig demanded, his expression menacing. "You're a Taylor. All the men in our family go there."

"For business," Justin agreed, straightening his shoulders defensively. "I applied to art programs only and Dartmouth didn't have what I was looking for."

"Did you know about this, Jen?" Craig demanded, turning his anger on his wife.

"Mom didn't know anything about this," Justin defended. "It was my decision."

"Then you'll just have to find a way to pay for it yourself," Craig informed him before turning and stalking out of the room.

Eyes wide, Justin turned to his mother. PIFA wasn't cheap and Justin had spent almost all the money in his bank account to buy his jeep. He'd counted on his father paying for college. Craig had always said that he would.

"I'll have a talk with him," his mother assured him. "Just give him a bit of time to calm down. Why don't you go over to Brian's. The two of you can celebrate."

~*~*~

"Brian! Phone!" Deb shouted as the teen was in the bathroom doing his best to muss his hair up into the perfect just-out-of-bed arrangement. "It's Sunshine!"

"'Kay!" Brian called back as he quickly rinsed the access mousse from his hands. He dried them just as speedily then jogged down the hall to his room where he picked up the cordless extension which he'd left there the night before. "I got it!" he yelled over his shoulder before lowering his voice to a slight purr, "Hey there, Sunshine."

"Someone sounds quite pleased with himself," Justin giggled from his end. 

"I'll tell you when you meet Deb, Vic and me at that cheesy Italian restaurant with the singing waiters," Brian evaded while he shoved his wallet into the back pocket of his Levis. He then balanced the phone between his chin and shoulder so that he could refastened the cowry shell bracelet around his wrist.

"And why am I meeting you there?" Justin asked, sounding intrigued by the idea.

Brian grinned, already heading down the stairs to where his surrogate parents were waiting. "That's part of the surprise. Just be there. Soon. We're leaving right now."

Without bothering to say goodbye, Brian disconnected the call and set the phone down on the second to last step.

~*~*~

Justin stared at the phone for several long seconds, not quite sure what had just happened. He was pretty sure that he'd just been invited to dinner, but for some reason Brian was being secretive about the whole thing. Justin was pretty sure that it was a good secretive seeing as how Brian could barely keep from laughing out loud, but his boyfriend had a strange sense of humour.

With a shrug, Justin finally set the phone back in the cradle and made his way downstairs. He double-checked with his mother to make sure he had the directions to the restaurant right and then left, snatching the keys off the table in the foyer as he went.

Twenty minutes later, without incident, Justin pulled into the parking lot of the restaurant. He caught sight of Deb and Vic's car a few spots over and rushed inside, hoping that they hadn't ordered yet. Whatever the festivities were, Justin didn't want to miss any of them.

~*~*~

The waitress had just returned with their drinks-- red wine for Deb and Vic and a diet Coke for Brian --when the soccer player caught sight of his boyfriend following another waitress to their table. Brian was on his feet before Justin reached their table, pulling the blonde in for a quick kiss before they sat back down.

"You're in a good mood," Justin grinned as he shuffled his chair forward.

"A very good mood," Brian confirmed, his mood even better now that Justin had arrived. "I got an acceptance letter today."

Justin perked up at that, taking a sip from his glass of water while he waited for the iced tea he'd ordered.

"Full ride, four year athletic scholarship," Brian continued, still amazed by the letter he'd received that afternoon. "They're gonna pay for me to go to school. How cool is that?"

"That's great, Bri! What school?" Justin asked, feeding off Brian's excitement.

"Penn State."

~*~*~

Even though he kept the smile firmly planted on his face, Justin cringed inside. He was honestly thrilled for Brian. His boyfriend deserved that scholarship. Brian was an amazing soccer player and the 1470 he got on his SAT's made him even more impressive to scouts. Justin was actually surprised that some bigger name schools weren't after him. Or perhaps Brian just hadn't received any letters from them yet. Brian had mentioned that his coach had told him there were several schools interested in offering him a scholarship. Penn State had only been the first.

"That's fantastic, Bri!" Justin cheered, beaming. "You could end up being a pro soccer player at this rate."

Debbie snorted at that then let out an amused laugh. "Wouldn't that just be a kicker?! And when he's the next David Beecham I can say I washed his shorts."

"Beckham," Vic corrected his sister. "It's David Beckham. What a dish he is too."

The waitress came back with his drink and in the silence that followed asked, "Did I mention that I got accepted to the Pittsburgh Institute of Fine Arts?"

~*~*~

He'd been foolish to think that he could have everything. That he could have his scholarship, go off and make a name for himself, and still have Justin. It seemed like a lifetime ago that he and Justin had made a pact to move into their own apartment and go to school together. Now they were on their way to completely different cities, heading in completely different directions, and that terrified Brian.

Brian had spent the last hour and a half staring up at his ceiling, trying to figure out what was going to happen come fall when he had to leave town. Beside him, Justin was sound asleep, the blonde's lithe body curled around his own. Lately they didn't get to spend too many nights together and Brian cherished every one of them. He loved waking up in Justin's arms and had been counting on waking up to that every day for years to come once they graduated from St. James.

Now it seemed they'd have to put those plans on hold.

Brian startled slightly when he felt Justin turn and press a kiss to his collarbone. "You need to relax, babe. Stop thinking and sleep. Tomorrow's Saturday and you're going to negate its sleeping-in factor if you stay up all night."

Despite himself, Brian felt the corners of his mouth tilting upwards and he rolled over onto his side, winding his arm around Justin's torso. "A guy's allowed to have insomnia from time to time."

"Not my guy. And not without good reason," Justin murmured as he wiggled back enough to meet Brian's eyes. "Now tell me what's got you so stressed out."

"Justin...."

"I'm not going to get any sleep as long as you're so fidgety so start talking," Justin ordered as he extricated himself from Brian's arms. He wiggled himself into a seated position on the narrow bed and sat facing his boyfriend.

"There's nothing to say, Justin. I'm just being an idiot," Brian sighed as he scrubbed his hands roughly over his face. "I'm worrying about something that really isn't that big a deal when I should be celebrating the fact that we both got in to really good schools. Ones that happen to be kinda far apart."

"It's' not like we're going to opposite sides of the country," Justin protested, giving in rather quickly and stretching back out next to Brian. "We're still gonna be in the same state and we can see each other every weekend. It won't be that bad."

"I know that it's not," Brian agreed, letting out a frustrated huff as he turned and burrowed his face into the crook of Justin's throat. "It's just...."

"It's just what?" the artist prompted as he lightly slid his fingers through Brian's hair.

Brian was quiet for a few moments, trying to figure out how to explain it to Justin. "Back when I was still living with my parents that was all I had. I knew that I could put up with all their bullshit because in less than two years I was going to be moving away from them and into an apartment with you. I didn't even care if it was some gross rat trap at that point," Brian chuckled. "The important thing was that we were gonna be living together. We'd have our own life and could do whatever we wanted.... Except now, I don't get to live with you. I'm gonna hafta go live in some dorm-- probably with some pathetic roommate --for the next four years. We'll only have the summers to be really together."

~*~*~

"Well maybe I'll get accepted to Penn State. Then we can live in some dorm together," Justin suggested into the silence that followed. He wanted to reassure Brian, wanted to give him the peace of mind he needed to fall asleep. He didn't intend to just brush all of Brian's fears away, but there was no way they could properly deal with it at four in the morning. "They're just letters, Brian. They're not our futures written in stone."

~*~*~

In the following week, Brian got even more acceptance letters. Carnegie Mellon was offering him an academic scholarship. Columbia wanted him to play soccer for them and was offering the same scholarship was Penn State. His sister had insisted that he apply to some schools in Georgia so that they could spend some time together and Brian had been accepted to them all, each of them offering him a slight scholarship to go along with his high SAT score.

Justin got some other acceptance letters as well. Including one from an art school in New York.

"So what do you think about us living in New York?" Justin asked once he'd shared his news. "We can get our little rat trap apartment and work our butts off to pay for it while we go to school."

And as stressful and horrible as he knew it was gonna be trying to go to school and pay for a place in New York, Brian was thrilled at the idea. They would be away from Pittsburgh and everything that had happened there. He wouldn't accidentally drive past his parents' house and he wouldn't be fodder for an eager politician's mayoral attempts. He would just be Brian Kinney, college student, a virtual no one.

"I say hello New York, goodbye Pittsburgh."

~*~*~

"I'm going to Parsons University in New York, Dad!" Justin shouted at his father from the opposite side of the dinner table.

"You're going to Dartmouth!" Craig insisted as he pushed his chair away from the table. "You're going to get a business degree and put all of this art nonsense behind you. You can't expect to earn a living selling paintings. It's not practical."

"I don't care about practical," Justin growled back, glaring at his father as he stalked towards the counter. "I want to be an artist not some drone in an office building."

Craig whirled around, a piece of paper in his hand. "You're going to sign this acceptance letter, Justin. You're going to sign it and go to Dartmouth in the fall."

"Where the hell did that come from?" Justin demanded, staring at his father in confusion. "I didn't send in an application to Dartmouth."

Craig glared at him as he set the paper down on the kitchen table and slid it in front of Justin. "Which is why I called in a favour with a friend who's on the faculty. He managed to find a way to squeeze you into the business program. It really wasn't that hard when he saw your SAT score."

Justin rolled his eyes. "Just because I got a 1500 doesn't mean I want to be a business major. I'm going into the fine arts program in New York."

"Don't be obstinate, Justin. Just sign the paper," his father ground out, taking a pen from the inside pocket of his suit jacket and holding it out towards his son.

"It's too late, Dad," Justin smirked, leaning back in his chair. "I already sent back my acceptance letter to Parsons. That's where I'm going in the fall."

"Get the hell out of my house!" Craig shouted at the blonde, slamming the pen down on the table.

"Craig!" Jennifer shouted, outraged. "You can't be serious!"

The elder Taylor continued to glare at his son, unflinching. "No, Jen. If Justin wants to be a big man then he can fend for himself. Pack up yourself and get out."

~*~*~

They were in the middle when there was a knock at the door. Swallowing a mouthful of cannelloni, Brian dropped his fork onto his plate and rushed off to answer it. He stopped short when he caught sight of Justin's profile through the windows in the door.

"Justin, hey. What are you doing here... with bags?" Brian asked, staring at his boyfriend in confusion.

Justin snuffled slightly, blinking away the tears Brian could see forming in his eyes. "My dad kicked me out. I need a place to stay."

"Deb, Vic!" Brian shouted over his shoulder as he wound an arm around Justin's shoulders. With his other hand he snatched up the bag sitting on the porch and led Justin into the house.

Brian kept his arms around the slighter teen as he explained what had happened when he'd told his father about sending back the acceptance letter to Parsons. Brian felt his rage boil at that and could tell that Deb and Vic were equally outraged. Deb had to be physically restrained from going after Craig Taylor.

"That self-righteous asshole!" Deb raged as she began slamming pots and pans around in the sink, focusing her anger there.

"Shouting won't help anything, sis," Vic chastised as he forcibly removed her hands from the sink before she did any damage to the cookware. "Let's just all sit down and finish dinner and we'll discuss this like sane people."

Brian offered Vic a grateful smile as he led Justin over to the empty chair at the table while the older man got a plate from the cupboard. Brian knew that there would be no putting off Deb forever. Before the night was over she would undoubtedly be doing a lot of yelling, but Brian wanted to get Justin calm before that happened.

"I hope you know that you're staying here," Deb said as she spooned some of the homemade cannelloni onto Justin's plate. "I won't have you wandering the streets when you could be safe and warm here. And I'm sure that Brian won't mind sharing his bed with you."

The wink that Deb aimed in Justin's direction made the blonde's cheeks turn bright red.

~*~*~

"I never thought that my father would hate me so much," Justin whispered as he lay in Brian's arms later that night. "I know that he was upset that I didn't want to go to Dartmouth, but I didn't think he'd kick me out of the house. It's not like I can stay here forever."

"You're forgetting that I turn eighteen in a few weeks," Brian pointed out, his breath warm against Justin's forehead. "We graduate two weeks after that. All we have to do is stick around for graduation then we can go to New York and start saving up for the fall."

With a bit of wiggling, Justin turned himself onto his stomach and hoisted himself up on his elbows so that he could stare down at Brian. "So soon?"

Brian nodded his head. "Why not? We can start looking into apartments on the internet this weekend. Vic used to live there so we can get his opinion on anything that looks interesting and that we can afford. He can tell us what areas to stay clear of too. It'll be okay, Justin."

"When the hell did you become the optimist?" Justin chuckled, a smile curving his lips despite the incredible unease he felt.

"When you needed me to be one," Brian said softly as he pulled Justin back into his arms.

"Thank you," Justin murmured as he burrowed himself against Brian's side.

"You don't have to thank me," Brian whispered against the top of his head. "You don't ever have to thank me."

"Doesn't mean I'm not grateful," Justin told him, pressing a kiss to Brian's collarbone.


	37. Cohorts in Crime

"So what do you think about going to the prom?" Justin asked as he glanced at the wall opposite Brian's locker. "Deb mentioned it while you were still getting dressed. She said something about it being a right of passage or something."

Brian glanced at him over his shoulder as he grabbed one of his textbooks from the top shelf. "The prom? I never really thought about going. Did you want to?"

"I don't know," Justin sighed, shrugging his shoulders. "It would be fun. Dancing all night all decked out in tuxes...."

"I get it now," Brian chuckled, shaking his head slightly as he shut the locker and turned to face Justin. "You just wanna get the chance to dress me up again. Admit it."

The blonde shook his head, holding his hands up in front of him. "I said no such thing. I just happen to think that you look really sexy all decked out in black."

Brian took a step away from his locker and stood with his hands spread out at his sides displaying the black jeans and t-shirt ensemble he had changed into after his last period gym class. "This not good enough?"

"It's very nice," Justin assured him quickly as he latched onto Brian's free hand. "Perfect, even. But just think about how sexy and irresistible we'll both look all decked out in the finest duds the Liberty Avenue Thrift Shop has to offer." He grinned when Brian burst out laughing and pulled his boyfriend towards him. "Oh come on! You know you looked fucking amazing last Valentines Day at that country club thing. You and vintage clothing mesh perfectly."

"And what about you? What are you going to wear?" Brian countered as he allowed himself to be guided down the corridor and towards the parking lot. "Because you and vintage, not so hot."

Justin glared in his direction, but refused to let Brian dampen his mood. "Then I'll just have to find something else. Either way we are going to be the sexiest couple at the prom."

~*~*~

As much as he wanted to, Brian couldn't feel excited about the upcoming prom. In all honesty, he didn't really want to go. He would have much rather danced the night away with Justin at Babylon. Brian felt at home there. Babylon was safe. No one was going to hurt them there. After what had happened at the Valentine gala thing the year before, Brian didn't want to risk anything happening to Justin at the prom.

Brian went through all of the motions, though. He went with Justin to buy the tickets. He bought the clothes and even helped Justin find something that made him look just as hot.... Or as hot as he could look while still wearing clothes.

But Brian still felt nervous for reasons that he couldn't put a name to.

"What's wrong?" Justin yawned as he rolled over onto his side to snuggle up against Brian.

Brian turned his head so that he could see Justin's face, his eyes locking on those impossibly blue ones gazing at him from under half-lidded eyes. "Do you ever think that things are going too well? That we're too happy?"

"What's bringing all this on?" Justin asked, lifting himself up on an elbow so that he hovered over Brian. When Brian didn't answer, his arm drifted up to cup Brian's cheek.

"It's just.... Things are going really good between us now, yeah?"

"I'm not even gonna answer that," Justin grinned, obviously trying to lighten the mood.

And, despite himself, Brian returned his smile. "Okay and the world at large is cooperating with us too, right?"

"What exactly are you getting at?" Justin pressed as he began to stroke Brian's cheek with the pad of his thumb.

"That we're bound to get our asses kicked by life soon."

~*~*~

Justin wished that there was something he could do to alleviate Brian's fears. It was an impossible wish, though, because these fears of Brian's were a part of who he was. Too much had happened to him growing up, he had been hurt too much, and was still really scared of being happy.

He'd been trying for the past year and a half to convince Brian that good things could happen to him. The fact that things had worked out so that they could go to school together in New York after first fearing they'd be stuck in different cities should have been proof that things would work out for them.

"That is not going to happen, Brian," Justin insisted, dipping his head down so that Brian was forced to meet his eyes. "Good things are allowed to happen to us. They really are. So we are going to go to our prom. We are going to dance and have a blast. Then in a few weeks we're going to graduate and go on our trip to Niagara Falls. Got it?"

"I got it," Brian murmured, nodding his head slightly.

"Now try saying it like you mean it," Justin pressed, seeing right through Brian's words. "I'm serious, Brian. There isn't some cosmic plot against us. Things just happen. And right now good things are starting to happen. Okay?"

~*~*~

"Good things, huh?" Brian echoed, pursing his lips.

"Wonderful things. Once we get to New York everything will be great."

Shaking his head, Brian could do nothing to stop the smile from tugging at the corners of his lips. "All right. Fine. Things will be good in New York. Do you believe me this time?"

"I'll believe it when I start seeing it," Justin informed him, snuggling up against him. "Now go to sleep. I have a test in accounting tomorrow morning and I'd like to not pass out in the middle of it."

Brian stayed silent, allowing Justin to fall asleep. He felt guilty for keeping Justin awake because of his own inability to sleep. At the same time, though, he wouldn't change living with Justin for anything. He loved being able to wake up with Justin wrapped around him. There was something so very right about it.

Brian wanted to feel that way for the rest of his life.

~*~*~

Justin was startled to see his mother sitting calmly in the living room with Debbie when he got home from his afternoon shift at the dinner. The two women were chatting away happily which made the scene even more bizarre to Justin.

"Justin!" his mother cried when she caught sight of him standing near the stairs leading to the second floor of the house. "I've missed you, sweetheart!"

"Mom," Justin said evenly, stiffening slightly when he saw her stand up. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm here to take you home."

Justin let out a sudden burst of laughter, unable to believe how impossibly naive his mother was. "You're kidding me, right? There's no way I'm going home. Dad hates me. I'm not going back to that."

"Justin--"

"I'm not going, Mom. I'm staying here until I graduate then Brian and I are going to New York," Justin informed her, feeling only a twinge of compassion at her horrified expression. 

"Justin, I'm sure that if you just give your father a chance to--"

"But I shouldn't have to, Mom," Justin interrupted her. "I'm eighteen now. That means I can vote, join the army and get married if I want to."

"Hopefully not all in the same day," Debbie chuckled quietly. "Now I'm going to act as mediator between the two of you. Get this all sorted out."

"It's a nice offer, Debbie, but--"

"Get your bubble butt in here, Sunshine," Debbie ordered, pointing a finger at the couch where she wanted him to sit.

~*~*~

Brian knew that something was wrong from the moment he opened the passenger door of the jeep. Justin didn't have to say a single word. It was written clearly in the way he sat and the tenseness of his jaw.

"Justin, what's going on?" Brian asked as he slid into the vehicle.

"My mom was at Debbie's when I got off work," Justin sighed, his eyes focused forward, out the windshield. "She was trying to convince me that I needed to come home and that I should give my dad a chance to calm down."

As Justin said the words, Brian felt a sudden panic fill him. He didn't want Justin anywhere near his father. Craig Taylor might not have been violent like his own father was, but Brian still didn't trust him. Craig had done nothing but hurt Justin in all the time Brian had known him. None of it had been physical, but that didn't matter. When all was said and done, Justin was still hurt by it all.

"He's never going to accept me, is he?" Justin murmured as the silence extended.

Brian immediately reached over, cupping the back of Justin's neck. Justin started to lean towards him then so Brian placed a hand on his left shoulder, drawing him into his arms. "It's his loss if he doesn't want to accept you. You're an amazing man, Justin. I've never known anyone like you in the entire eighteen years I've been alive."

Justin snorted quietly, nudging Brian's cheek with his temple. "You're not eighteen yet. That's not for two more days."

"Glad to see you remember," Brian smirked, relieved to hear the laughter in Justin's voice. "Any chance my birthday present can be us _not_ going to the prom?"

The words had been said in an amused tone to make sure Justin knew he wasn't being serious. Brian was now more than willing to go to the prom if for no other reason than to show everyone that they couldn't be kept down.

~*~*~

"Where is the birthday boy?!"

Justin let out a startled yelp as he was shocked from sleep by Debbie's exuberant shout and ended up tumbling out of the narrow twin bed he and Brian shared. An echoing thump told him Brian had done the same thing. He wanted to be annoyed by Debbie's early morning wake up call, but as he crawled up over the bed and glanced down at Brian's grinning face he couldn't be.

"That wasn't very nice, Deb," Brian groaned as he attempted to roll himself up in the blankets that had gone with him off the side of the bed. "I was having a particularly nice dream."

"Yes and in about five minutes you and Justin can go act it out in the bathroom," she quipped, grinning madly when both he and Brian flushed bright red. "Now you two hurry up and get dressed, Vic's downstairs creating some marvelous breakfast for the birthday boy."

With that Debbie left the room, shutting the door behind her. Justin finally had a chance to look at the clock which was on Brian's side of the bed and was glad to see that Debbie had waited till at least nine to wake them up. Since it was not only Brian's birthday, but the day of the prom, neither of them were going to school that day.

"Happy birthday, babe," Justin murmured, leaning over the side of the bed to catch Brian's lips in a very brief kiss.

"Mmmm, thanks," Brian sighed as he flopped back down onto the ground. "Doesn't feel any different than seventeen did, though."

~*~*~

Brian stood in front of the mirror, staring at his reflection for several long minutes. He was decked all out in black from head to toe. Black slacks, black silk shirt with the cuffs rolled up to his elbows and the top three buttons undone, and a crimson tie, undone, and hanging loosely over his shoulders. He'd spent a good half hour perfectly mussing up his hair and the only thing he needed were his black combat boots.

The instant that the stepped into the bedroom, Brian caught sight of Justin who was tying up his black dress shoes. Like Brian, the blonde had opted for a more relaxed appearance, while still managing to look mostly traditional. Justin had rented a tuxedo, but wasn't wearing the jacket or the cummerbund or even the bowtie. He was, however, wearing the slacks and the white shirt with the pleats down the front, untucked and with all but four of the buttons undone, as well as the suspenders which were hanging down to his knees.

"You look fucking hot," Brian rasped as he crossed over to where Justin sat. "Sexy as fucking hell."

Justin grinned broadly as he pushed himself up off the bed. "You don't look too bad yourself, Bri. I'd fuck you."

Brian merely smirked in his direction. "I'm the birthday boy that means I get to do the fucking."

"We'll see."

Holding a hand out, Brian linked his fingers through Justin's, pulling his boyfriend closer to his body so that they were pressed chest to chest. "That we will."

"Get down here, you two! I want to take some pictures!" Deb shouted from downstairs.

Dropping back a few steps, Brian maintained his hold on Justin's hand as he made his way to the top of the stairs. "We're coming. Give us a chance to get dressed, would you!"

"You two take longer than any woman!"

Brian rolled his eyes as he thumped down the stairs, pulling Justin along with him. He got halfway down then immediately released Justin's hand when he saw his sister standing next to Deb in the living room.

"Claire! What the fuck are you doing here?" Brian demanded as he launched himself at his sister, enfolding her in his arms. "I've missed you so much!"

"I've missed you too, baby brother," Claire murmured against the side of his head. "Happy birthday, Brian."

"All right! All right! Enough of the lovey stuff," Deb interrupted, yanking Brian away from Claire. "I want a picture of the boys before they leave for their prom."

~*~*~

Brian had said that he was going to get punch, but that had been about ten minutes ago. For the past five minutes, Justin had been standing near the buffet table, scanning for any sign of his boyfriend.

"Brad, hey. Have you seen Brian anywhere?" Justin asked Brian's teammate who was in the process of shoving a pizza roll into his mouth.

The soccer player nodded towards the stage where the DJ was set up. And where Brian now stood at the microphone.

"Um, hey," Brian began, pursing his lips slightly when the entire soccer team broke out into loud cheers. "Thanks guys.... So Ross here who is a great DJ said that I could make a song dedication. Anyway, the song's all cued up and I'd really love it if you'd dance with me, Justin."

Immediately, the opening strains of Goo Goo Doll's Iris drifted through the room. Brian grinned one final time as he hopped down off the stage and walked towards the center of the dance floor.

"Get your ass over there, Justin," Brad said, giving his shoulder a slight nudge. "Brian's not big on romantic gestures so you'd better take advantage of this one."

Shaking his head in awe, Justin staggered towards Brian. He couldn't believe just how gutsy his boyfriend was. To stand up in the middle of a hetero bash and dedicate a song to another guy....

"You are completely and utterly insane," Justin laughed as he reached Brian, taking the hand that was offered to him.

"I was going for ridiculously romantic," Brian grinned, dropping his other hand to Justin's waist. "Come on, Sunshine. Proper position."

With a roll of his eyes, Justin placed his other hand on Brian's shoulder then laughed outright as his boyfriend spun him around in a circle. "I cannot believe we are doing this."

"Believe it, Sunshine."

~*~*~

The pair were still twirling around as the song faded into the next. Brian was drawing it out as long as possible, terrified about what was going to come next. Brian had been scared before, scared enough to feel his heart thumping in his chest and his breath reduced to jagged gasps. He wasn't quite that scared, but it was very close. The only reason he wasn't panicking out right was because it was Justin.

"So I was thinking," Brian murmured before he lost the guts to do so. "You know how we're taking that trip up to Niagara Falls once school's out?"

Justin nodded his head, dipping his head back so that their eyes met. "I do. You're not having second thoughts, are you?"

"No," Brian said immediately, shaking his head. "No, I was thinking we could make a little side trip. To the other side of the border."

"What's on the other side of the border?" Justin pressed, not making it any easier for Brian.

"Canada."

Justin rolled his eyes, flopping his head back to exaggerate the motion. "I know that. But what's so big about Canada?"

"Well for one thing it's the honeymoon capital of the world."

"Are you... Brian, are...." Justin stammered, his blue eyes going incredibly wide.

Leaning in, Brian pressed his forehead to Justin's and nodded his head just enough so that he would feel the motion. "I was thinking that we could go get married. What do you think?"

"I think that I can't wait to marry you," Justin giggled, a huge grin splitting his features. "But let's not wait. Let's go tonight. It's not that far. We can be back by Monday."

Brian didn't even hesitate. He wound his arms around Justin's waist and hoisted him up off the ground, spinning him round and around. "We're gonna get married," he whispered against Justin's lips.

The blonde let out a loud laugh, throwing his head back and shouting, "We're getting married!" to anyone who would listen. "We're getting married...."

"We're getting married," Brian sighed as he drew Justin back to him, kissing him lightly.


	38. Cohorts in Crime

Brian was going to pass out soon. He was entirely convinced that his heart was simply going to pound itself into exhaustion and stop long enough for him to pass out because there was no way any of what had just happened had been real. There was no conceivable way that he had asked Justin to marry him and even less plausible that Justin had said yes. That he'd marry him. In Canada. Where it was legal. Where they would have a license and even a priest to say, "I now pronounce you husband and husband," or whatever it was a priest said at a same sex ceremony. It was all real and--

"Breathe. I need you to breathe, Brian," Justin ordered as he brought his hands up to frame Brian's face. "You'll be no good to me if you pass out."

The words had barely left Justin's mouth when a third hand slammed him on the back, followed by countless more and a whole lot of cheering. It took a moment for Brian's brain to register that it was his teammates who were congratulating him and Justin.

"Do I get to be the best man?" Brad laughed as he shoved his way through the crowd of well wishers. "As your second in command I think that entitles me to being best man."

"Best man?" Brian croaked, slightly amazed that he'd even been able to get the word out.

"Well it's not like Justin can be the best man since he already gets to be the groom... or is he the bride?" the enthusiastic soccer player teased, earning him a hit to the arm from Justin.

"I'll have you know I'm just as much a groom as Brian," Justin smirked, rolling his eyes slightly as Brad continued to grin madly. "Besides, there won't be a best man. Brian and I are driving up to Niagara Falls this weekend to elope."

"No shit?"

"No shit," Brian confirmed, finally allowing himself a smile. It was really happening. He and Justin were getting married within the next twenty four hours. "Come on, Sunshine, let's get going. We have a long drive ahead of us."

"I'm getting married," Justin giggled as he allowed Brian to tug him towards the exit of the ballroom.

~*~*~

As Brian stepped out of the elevator and into the parking garage, Justin sprinted forward and jumped onto his back. He was laughing and grinning like mad and didn't think that he'd be stopping any time soon. Justin was still having a hard time wrapping his mind around the fact that Brian had proposed to him, but in a good way because he was just so happy. He was going to marry the man that he loved and nothing could have made him happier.

"You're not as light as you think you are," Brian laughed as he began to stagger about in a wide swerving path. "And I'd rather not fall face first on the concrete."

Justin swatted Brian in the center of the chest, laughing as he did so. "Quiet, you. Just bring me to our chariot so we can be off!"

"Did someone spike the punch without informing me?"

"Shush!" Justin insisted, a bark of laughter escaping his lips as he smacked Brian a second time. "I'm happy. Let me enjoy it."

Brian shook his head silently and continued on to where the jeep was parked, bouncing slightly as he walked. It caught Justin off guard at first, and he nearly toppled off at first, but he only tightened his grip and pressed a kiss to the back of Brian's neck. He continued to kiss and lick the back of Brian's throat, hoping to distract him as they made their way deeper into the parking garage.

"Would you knock it off!"

"I'm preparing for tonight... tomorrow night," Justin giggled, bumping his forehead lightly against the back of Brian's head. "We're going to be newly weds so it's gonna be special. Like the first time only better 'cause we'll know what we're doing. None of that awkward fumbling. Hell, neither of us even knew how to give a blow job that time...."

~*~*~

The nagging feeling Brian had always had about being happy was proving once again to be true as Chris Hobbs stepped out from behind a red SUV. Having been expelled following his arrest, the football player hadn't been at the prom and for a brief while Brian had been able to completely forget about Chris Hobbs' existence.

"What are you doing here, Hobbs?" Brian demanded as he eased Justin down off his back.

"I thought we'd have a chat," he drawled, raising a hand to brush against the bottom of his nose.

As he did so, Brian caught sight of the gun Hobbs was clutching tightly. Brian's eyes widened when he saw it which only made Hobbs grin broadly.

"Not so cocky now, are you, Kinney?"

"Hobbs, this is fucking insane!" Brian shouted at the other teen. "You have to know that you're going to get caught! Everyone knows that you have it out for me and Justin!"

Hobbs aimed the gun at Brian, a smirk twisting his features. "Won't matter then. You fucked my life over so now I'm gonna do the same to you."

Making sure to keep Justin behind him, Brian slowly began to inch his way towards Hobbs. He had absolutely no idea what he was going to do, only that he needed to keep Justin safe. And he would do whatever he had to in order to make sure that happened.

"Look, just go now and we won't call the cops," Justin called from behind him.

"You really think I'm gonna believe that?" Hobs snorted as he moved the gun up over Brian's right shoulder.

Brian immediately shifted to his right, refusing to flinch when he realized that the gun was now aimed at his head. "Believe whatever the fuck you want, Hobbs--"

~*~*~

Justin started forward, intending to stand beside Brian regardless of what his boyfriend wanted. He wasn't going to let Brian risk getting hurt without standing beside him.

"Believe whatever the fuck you want, Hobbs--"

It seemed to Justin that he heard the gunshot long after the fact. He watched in slow motion as Brian crumpled to the ground and only then did he hear the resounding echo of the bullet being fired. And Justin almost didn't react quick enough. He barely managed to catch Brian's shoulders to keep his head from impacting off the hard cement. Sinking down with him, Justin cradled Brian against him, all the while keeping his eyes trained on Hobbs to ensure that he didn't try to shoot Brian a second time.

"Oh shit...." Hobbs gasped, staring down at the two of them with wide eyes. The gun slipped from his suddenly nerveless fingers, clattering off the ground loudly.

The football player continued to stare down at them for several long seconds before he took off running in the opposite direction. Justin's first instinct was to chase after him to make sure he didn't get away, but common sense prevailed. The gun was still there, complete with Hobbs' fingerprints, even if the teen himself was not. And besides that, Brian needed him more.

"Jus...." Brian moaned as he shifted about in Justin's arms. 

"I've got you," Justin murmured, fumbling in the pocket of his pants for his new cell phone. "Just sit tight, babe."

Brian whimpered and turned his head into Justin's throat.

~*~*~

It was will power alone that was keeping Brian from screaming out loud. His entire right leg was a mass of agony that originated from just below his knee. And unlike all of the injuries he had sustained at his father's hands, this was no dull aching pain, but rather one that was very sharp and very insistent, becoming even worse with each minute movement of the limb.

Brian was surprised that he didn't bite clean through his lip when Justin used his shirt to put pressure on the wound. He wavered slightly at the intense pain and only remained upright by latching on Justin's upper arm until the blonde slid a hand behind his shoulders to help support him.

"Hey, what happened?"

"Are you all right?"

"Shit, is that blood?"

Brian vaguely heard Justin ordering someone from the gathering crowd to dial 9-1-1 and get an ambulance to the hotel. For his part, Brian was simply doing his utmost to remain conscious.

~*~*~

While Daphne Chanders was talking with the emergency operator, Justin's attention wavered between Brian himself and the bleeding wound on his leg. He was nervous about how pale Brian's skin was, especially since his once white shirt was now stained a dark crimson. On more than one occasion Brian nearly toppled backwards despite Justin's arm stretched across his shoulders. Not wanting Brian to fall back and unwilling to allow anyone else near him, Justin began to wiggle himself around so that he was kneeling between Brian's legs, one hand still clutching at his shoulder.

"I'm gonna do this very carefully, Bri, but it'll probably still hurt," Justin warned as he very carefully lowered himself to a cross-legged position so that Brian's left leg was straddling his hip. Unwinding his right leg and stretching it out alongside Brian's left hip, he was able to inch his way still closer and was able to maintain the pressure on the injury and ease Brian's upper body against his own. As Brian flopped forward, he wound and arm around Justin's back, holding onto him weakly.

~*~*~

Even though he knew that it was the paramedics that were attempting to untangle him from Justin, Brian still fought them on it. He wanted to stay exactly where he was because it was safe there. Justin would keep him safe. It was what Justin did. Justin protected him and kept him safe.

"Sir, we need to treat your injury," one of the paramedics said as he once again attempted to dislodge Brian from Justin's arms. "Your friend also needs to speak to the police so that they can catch the person who did this to you."

"It was Chris Hobbs," Brian ground out, swallowing the wave of nausea that overcame him as his leg was shifted. "Now let Justin stay here.

Brian screamed and very nearly passed out as his leg was lifted. He slumped against Justin, panting against the side of his neck. Brian was clutching at Justin as tight as he was able to, knowing that, despite his best efforts, he was eventually going to be separated from Justin because in the end he always was. And if that night had proved anything, it was that he wasn't allowed to be happy. Every time he was happy, something always came to destroy it. It was just how things were and always would be.

~*~*~

"It's okay, Bri, I'm not going anywhere," Justin promised him as he loosened his hold so that the EMTs could carefully lift Brian to a nearby stretcher.

Despite how careful they were being, Brian let out another agonized scream and finally passed out. Justin started towards him, but was cut off by a police officer who came to stand directly in front of him, blocking his view of Brian.

"We need to ask you a few questions, Mr. Taylor," the police officer said, stalling Justin's attempt to get to Brian.

"Chris Hobbs came out with a gun and he shot Brian. What more do you need to know?" Justin demanded, stabbing his fingers into his hair and undoubtedly smearing Brian's blood on his face and hair. "You guys have the gun, get his fingerprints off it and take a look at Hobbs' fucking record! He beat the shit out of me a few weeks ago and got arrested for it. Now he shot Brian. Figure it out."

Swerving around the cop, Justin darted over to the stretcher as it was being guided towards the ambulance. Brian was beginning to stir so Justin immediately rushed to his head, making sure that he was in Brian's line of sight when his eyes began to flutter open. The hazel eyes that he loved so much were only just starting to focus on him when Brian was pushed into the ambulance and away from him.

"Jus, come back...."

"I'm going with him," Justin announced to the paramedics as he climbed in after them. He crawled forward in the cramped space, reaching for Brian's hand.

As soon as Justin's fingers brushed against Brian's, the other teen squeezed their fingers together weakly. Justin made the grip stronger and peered down at Brian who was once again fighting to keep his eyes open. Justin smiled softly and smoothed the fingers of his free hand through Brian's rumpled hair.

"Everything's gonna be okay, Bri. I promise," Justin murmured, leaning forward to brush a kiss against Brian's forehead.

~*~*~

Brian was going to throw up. His stomach was swirling and the room was spinning even though he still had his eyes closed. He didn't even want to think about what would happen if he opened his eyes so he kept them shut. Brian would have kept them shut indefinitely except there were too many noises that he couldn't identify and were starting to freak him out.

"Juss...." Brian moaned as he slitted his left eye open.

There was a flurry of movement just in his peripheral vision that made Brian's stomach churn once again and very nearly vomited, swallowing it down at the last moment. He squeezed his eyes shut once again, panting heavily as he attempted to calm his frazzled nerves.

"How are you feeling, Brian?" a woman's voice that he didn't recognize asked softly.

Swallowing the bile rising up in his throat, Brian cautiously blinked his eye open once again. In front of him, a young redheaded nurse was crouching down in his line of sight. "Where's Justin?"

"Is that your blonde friend who came in with you?"

"Justin," Brian confirmed, not daring to nod his head. "Where is 'e?"

"I'm not sure, but I'm sure you'll see him when you're moved out of recovery," the nurse assured him before disappearing to the far side of the room where Brian couldn't see her.

"I want to see him now," Brian insisted, gasping sudden as he became aware of the intense pain shot through his leg.

The nurse returned to his side, adjusting one of the bags that were feeding different concoctions into his system. "I'm sorry, but he's not allowed in here. Give it another half hour and I'm sure you'll be moved to your own room then you can see him."

Still feeling incredibly sick to his stomach, Brian relaxed into the pillows and let his eyes drift shut. He hoped that by the time he woke up again that feeling would be gone. Brian could deal with the pain on its own, but added with the nausea made it even worse and Brian only wanted to deal with the one rather than both.

"You'll be happy to know that they arrested the boy who shot you," the nurse said, her voice the last thing Brian heard before he drifted off to sleep.

~*~*~

The instant that he saw Brian wheeled down the hallway on a stretcher, Justin shoved his way through the crowd that was surrounding him, Debbie, Claire and Vic. He rushed forward, a smile overtaking his face when he saw the weak one Brian was offering up. Justin chose to ignore the massive brace that surrounded Brian's leg from midway down his thigh to his ankle for the moment, focusing instead on his fiancée who was in more need of him.

"Hey," Justin managed to get out as Brian was whisked past him and into the room. 

He waited until the orderlies, nurses and doctor were in the room before entering himself. Justin held Brian's gaze as the brunette was very carefully shifted from the stretcher to the bed. Even so, Brian let out a half stifled cry, his eyes immediately tearing up. So as soon as there was room, Justin darted forward to take Brian's hand as he slid up beside his boyfriend... fiancée.

With a strength that Justin hadn't been expecting, Brian pulled him still closer. Justin's arms automatically went around his torso as Brian's own wound about his shoulders. Brian held onto him for several long minutes, breathing deeply and not saying anything.

"You're going to need to keep your leg as still as possible for the next little while, Brian," the doctor instructed when Justin finally sat back. "The bullet hit the bone and lodged itself there which caused a fracture that weakened the entire bone. It will heal, but that will take some time."

"Brian's a soccer player," Justin said immediately. "Will he still be able to play?"

~*~*~

Before Justin even asked the question, Brian already knew the answer. His soccer career was over. He wouldn't be able to play soccer anymore which meant no more scholarship which meant that Justin would be going to New York without him. There was also no way they were going to Niagara Falls that weekend to get married and Brian doubted that they'd even be able to go on their camping trip that summer.

All of their plans were entirely shot to hell and it was his fault.

He had antagonized Chris Hobbs all year, pushing the other teen, and knowing full well that no good would come of it. He'd never thought for one instant that Hobbs would shoot him, but he'd known that something drastic would happen when it all came to a head.

So now Brian had to do the one thing he had never hoped to do and push Justin away. He wasn't going to allow Justin to wreck his life by staying with him. Brian knew Justin enough to know that the artist would give up his place at Parsons and Brian couldn't let him do that. Justin deserved to go to that school, he had the talent for it, and Brian wasn't going to let him fuck that up.

Justin was going to New York even though Brian knew that he never would be.


	39. Cohorts in Crime

Justin woke up with a crick in his neck from having slept in a chair next to Brian's bed. Brian had tried to convince him to go home, but Justin had known that it would be a mistake to do so. It would only be the start of Brian's attempt to push him away. That was what Brian did. Things went bad, Brian blamed himself and did his best to push Justin away. But Justin hadn't let him do it before and definitely had no intentions of allowing that to happen this time around. Not when they had made plans only a few hours before to get married.

As soon as Brian's leg had healed, Justin was going to make sure that the wedding happened. He was going to prove to Brian that good things were allowed to happen to them. He was also going to make damned sure that Hobbs suffered for making Brian doubt that.

"You should have gone home," Brian mumbled, blinking his eyes open. "It would have been more comfortable than hanging out here all night."

"Why would I go home?" Justin yawned, arching his back in an attempt to stretch out some of the kinks in his spine.

Brian scrubbed his hands over his face and let out a long sigh. "Because there's no need for you to be here. All I'm gonna be doing for the next few weeks is lying around waiting for my fucking leg to heal."

"You're not going to be in the hospital the entire time," Justin pointed out as he relaxed back into the chair. "The brace will be on until they're sure that you don't get an infection where the bullet went in and after that you get a cast and can go home."

"So what? I'm still completely fucked," Brian shouted, slamming his fist down on the mattress. "I won't have my scholarship anymore which means I can't go to New York with you because there's no way I can pay for it. I can't even play soccer anymore so what the hell else is there to do?"

"I hate to break it to you, Bri, but your life is not defined by how well you play soccer," Justin said rather bluntly. "Yeah, I'll admit that you're fucking fabulous at the game but that's not who you are. In case you're forgetting your also pretty damn brilliant and were offered some academic scholarships so your life isn't completely fucked."

Brian only glared at Justin. "And you're still getting out of the Pitts while I'm stuck here because Carnegie Mellon is the only school that's interested in my brain."

"Then I'll just go to PIFA," Justin said logically.

~*~*~  
It wasn't that easy. There was no way it could be that easy. Brian refused to believe that it was as simple as Justin was making it out to be. It couldn't be. And he didn't want Justin to throw away all of his plans just because of him. Justin deserved the chance to go to New York and live out his dreams.

"You're an artist, Justin. New York is where you should be," Brian protested, letting go of some of his anger. "I mean it, Justin. You really should go even though I can't any more."

Justin only rolled his eyes and carefully sat down on the edge of the bed. "I hate to break it to you, Brian, but I'm not going to New York without you. So if that means we have to wait a few years to go because we need to go to school here then so be it."

"Juss...." Brian moaned, squeezing his eyes shut tight.

He snuffled quietly as Justin's hand came up to cup his cheek. If he was going to convince Justin to go he couldn't be a weak little faggot. That meant he couldn't break down because if he did Justin would feel the need to stay behind and take care of him like he was an obligation and that was something Brian couldn't bear.

"I know that you're scared right now," Justin said quietly, his other hand come up to frame Brian's face between his palms. "'Cause, trust me, I'm still reeling after last night. I watched you get shot last night. For a second I thought that I was going to watch you die. Do you have any idea how terrified I was then? So right now I don't care about whether or not we're going to New York. I only care that you're with me and all right."

Brian wanted desperately to believe what Justin was saying. That everything could be okay. He just wanted to curl up in a ball and let Justin take care of everything. 

"Knock, knock," Claire said as she poked her head into the room. "Is it safe to interrupt? I was hoping to steal some time with my baby brother."

"Hey there, Claire," Justin said as he carefully climbed off the bed. He crossed over to where she stood and gave her a quick hug, whispering in her ear, "Hopefully you can talk some sense into Brian."

Brian watched Justin leave the room, barely swallowing the urge to call him back. Instead he plastered a fake smile on his face as his sister came to embrace him. And even though he felt comforted by her presence, he couldn't help but wish that she was Justin.

~*~*~

Justin had wandered through the hallways for a while until he eventually found himself on the roof. It surprised him how busy Pittsburgh was at 8am on a Saturday. People were walking around, driving, taking the bus and cabs and generally hurrying about from one place to another. Justin watched, detached from it all, trying to figure out just how he was going to keep Brian from pushing him away because relentless as he knew Brian was going to try to be, at heart he would mean none of it.

Hoisting himself up onto the ledge, Justin sat with his legs hanging over the edge and stared down at the city below. He couldn't help but wonder if anyone else had such a hard time in life. If anyone else had to struggle so hard just to be happy. Glancing down at himself, Justin realized for the first time that he was still wearing a shirt smeared with Brian's blood. 

"There's no way I'm getting my deposit back," Justin mused to himself as he began unfastening the buttons of the shirt. The morning was a bit chilly, but Justin stripped off the shirt anyway, unable to stand the thought of wearing something covered with Brian's blood any longer. Wadding it up in a ball, Justin tossed the ruined shirt behind him and went back to his survey of the city.

In his head, Justin was already trying to work out a way to restore Brian's faith in what they had. He didn't want Brian thinking that they could never be really happy. Hobbs might have fucked them over several times in the past few years, but that was then. Hobbs wouldn't be an issue any longer because there was no mistaking the fact that Hobbs had tried to kill Brian the night before. Not when the other teen had used a gun.

"I thought I'd find you up here."

Justin glanced over his shoulder, watching Vic's approach for a few moments before turning back to the city. "Hey, Vic. Did Debbie send you to find me?"

The older man came to stand next to him and laid an arm on Justin's shoulder. "Debbie's too busy fussing over Brian's soccer teammates who have been at the hospital all night. She's in full out mother hen mode and I almost feel sorry for Brian when he gets to come home. You, on the other hand, need to change out of those bloody clothes or at least put a shirt on."

Vic handed him a plastic bag with a change of clothes in it. Not quite ready to leave the roof yet, Justin only put on the long sleeve tee Vic had brought for him and set the bag back down on the roof. After that, Justin sat in silence for a few minutes, his attention focused on a young woman who was walking her dog across the street. When she had rounded the corner, he looked up at Vic who seemed to have been following the girl's passage as well.

"I've decided that I'm going to go to PIFA in the fall," Justin said, looking away as soon as Vic started to turn to him. "Brian's going to have to decline his scholarship at Columbia since he won't be able to play soccer any more. He still has the academic one from Carnegie Mellon so.... I thought that maybe, before Brian gets released, that I'd find us an apartment we could afford. It doesn't have to be great... just ours."

"I think that's exactly what Brian needs. That boy could use something good happening to him," Vic agreed, seeing through to Justin's motives.

"The only problem is that after we get settled in, he'd always be waiting for the other foot to drop," Justin sighed, scrubbing a hand over his face. "Because every time something good happens to us, some just as bad usually follows not too far behind. Brian proposed to me last night. We were going to drive up to Canada for the weekend and get married.... Ten minutes later Hobbs shoots him. What the fuck did we do that was so wrong?"

Justin could feel tears sliding down his cheeks and angrily brushed them away. He couldn't afford to start falling apart because he wouldn't be any help to Brian then. Brian needed him to be the strong one. That way Brian could fall apart whenever he needed to and Brian would be there to shore him up. Knowing Brian the way he did, Justin knew full well that Brian would try to be strong and act as though nothing was bothering him until he eventually just crumbled. Then Justin would start the process of putting him back together again.

"Neither of you did anything wrong," Vic said as he wrapped an arm around Justin's shoulders. "Chris Hobbs is a hateful boy and all of those things are on his own conscience. Provided he even has one."

"But it's not always Hobbs," Justin snuffled, leaning against the older man. "Everything just always seems to be working against us. I'm scared that we're never going to get to Canada and never get married. I don't even know what's going to happen ten minutes from now."

"You're going to go home, have a shower, change your clothes, get something to eat.... Get unwound. You'll be no good to Brian or anyone if you're this tense," Vic instructed, stepping back so that Justin could climb off the ledge.

"But Rigby's still...."

"It's down in the parking lot," Vic assured him, fishing the keys out of his pocket. "I went and picked it up myself early this morning."

With no other reason to argue, Justin accepted the keys to his jeep. Vic was right. He needed to go home and regroup. If he was going to be any good to Brian, he needed to go home for a little while and sort himself out.

~*~*~

"How are you feeling, baby brother?" Claire asked as she settled down in the chair Justin had recently vacated. "And I'm not just talking about your leg."

Brian dropped his head back onto the pillow, squeezing his eyes shut for a moment. "I'm fine, Claire. Couldn't be better even if I was in Canada right now with Justin getting married just like we'd planned."

"What?" his sister demanded, the shrillness of her voice making him wince.

"Last night," Brian sighed as he turned his head towards her and slowly opened his eyes. "Last night at the prom I asked Justin to marry me. We were going to drive up to Canada last night so that it would be all legal and be back by Sunday."

"Oh, Bri...." Claire lamented, rising from the chair to sit on the edge of the bed.

"Yep," Brian confirmed with a sardonic laugh. "It figures, though. Last night was going too well. I was actually happy. Really happy. That should have clued me in right away. I'm not allowed to be happy. Something always fucks it up. You'd think I'd have learned by now."

Claire's features hardened as she reached out to place a hand to Brian's cheek. "What the fuck has gotten into you, Brian? I hate to break it to you, but the cosmos aren't aligned against you, baby brother. And you know what else?"

Frowning, Brian jerked his head out of her hold. "What?"

"Justin loves you. He loves you so fucking much he can't even see anyone else," Claire said fiercely, once again touching a palm to his cheek. "So don't even think about being all noble and self-sacrificing and pushing him away. Justin deserves better than that."

"Justin deserves better than me," Brian sighed, blinking away the tears he could feel forming in the corners of his eyes. "He deserves someone who won't hurt him the way I keep doing. Someone who will make him happy."

"And you don't think Justin's happy with you?" his sister countered as she scooted up to sit next to Brian, leaning back against the same pillows he was. "You don't think he's strong enough to bear a few huts in between all the good times?"

"Justin's the strongest person I know," Brian told her, feeling a stirring in his heart as he always did when he thought of the passion the blonde possessed. "But just because he's strong and can take the bad stuff doesn't mean he should have to."

"How about you leave the decision up to Justin?"

Despite his resolve to remain strong, Brian dropped his head onto Claire's shoulder, taking comfort as she draped an arm over his shoulders. "The thing about Justin is that he's stubborn and loyal as hell. He'd stay with me out of a sense of duty and I don't want that. I would never ask that of him."

"Did you ever think that maybe you don't have to? That Justin would stay because he loves you and genuinely wants to be with you?" Claire challenged, her voice muted somewhat against the top of his head.

Brian squeezed his eyes shut tight, turning his face into her shoulder. "Can we please not talk about this right now? I just...."

"Sure, baby brother. Whatever you want," Claire agreed, pressing a kiss to his hair. "Just remember that you'll have to have this talk with Justin at some point.

~*~*~

It seemed like almost a lifetime ago that he had been in his and Brian's room. Everything had seemed so different the day before when he and Brian had been getting ready for the prom. Scrubbing his hands over his face, Justin felt something cold and metallic slide across his cheek. He brought his hand away from his face and was almost surprised to find himself looking at his ring even though he hadn't taken it off for several months. Not since Brian had given it back to him when he'd wanted something normal during his parents' trial. Taking it off, Justin scraped away a bit of dried blood from the band then carefully set the ring down on the bedside table before slipping out of his clothes and padding naked towards the bathroom. 

Justin managed to keep himself together until the warm water was pounding down on him. He stuck his head under the spray, his skin prickling from the heat of the water, and let out a gurgling scream. The sound was mostly drowned out by the water that was pouring into his mouth, but he continued to shout until there was no more air in his lungs.

Then he slumped to his knees, body bowing forward until his forehead was touching the floor as well. Justin was sobbing by then, his entire body shaking as his tears mixed with the water flowing around him.

~*~*~

Brian hadn't been alone all morning. Whenever one visitor would leave two more would appear. It was getting to the point where Brian could barely keep his eyes open. He was exhausted, but refused to admit to it because he didn't want to appear weak.

Finally, after what felt like hours and quite probably was, the last of his teammates left and Brian was finally alone. He enjoyed the solitude for only a few minutes before the whir of the machines began to grate on his nerves.

And more than anything he knew that he wanted Justin there.

Brian wanted to be able to press his face into Justin's chest and feel his arms wrap around him. The only problem was that he didn't know where Justin was or if he was even coming back. He berated himself mentally for even considering the possibility that Justin would come back. The artist was nothing if not stubborn. He would stay no matter what Brian tried to do in order to push him away.

Slowly, Brian slipped into an uneasy rest. He was unable to sleep deeply, not only because of the dull throb in his leg, but because there was so much background noise. The machines in the room, people walking in the hallway, talking to each others. Nurses, doctors, patients, visitors. There was just too much noise and it didn't help matters much that the bed wasn't very comfortable or that he was stuck lying flat on his back and couldn't move about to find a comfortable position.

With each and every new sound causing him to stir, Brian was surprised that he didn't realize Justin had returned until he felt his boyfriend's hand on his stomach. By that time Justin was already lying stretched out beside him and Brian immediately snuggled his upper body closer.

"I didn't mean to wake you," Justin murmured as he slid his fingers into Brian's hair.

"Wasn't sleeping good anyway," Brian yawned, blinking a bit to try and get himself to wake up. "Too much noise."

Justin leaned over and pressed a kiss to his forehead. "This from the guy who slept through the fireworks last Fourth of July."

"I'd spent all afternoon fucking you and being fucked by you. I was tired," Brian defended himself, a smile finding its way to his lips. "Don't forget that I was also the one who drove us the five hours to the campground that morning."

"Doesn't matter, you still fell asleep," Justin giggled as he pulled away slightly.

Brian started to panic, unsure of what exactly was happening and fearing that it meant Justin was leaving. He was preparing himself to deal with watching Justin walk away and knew that he wouldn't be able to blame the blonde. He was the one who had tried earlier to convince Justin to go.

~*~*~

Justin could see Brian withdrawing into himself as he started to pull away. He knew that Brian was probably thinking that he was going to leave. It was only because he knew that Brian had probably been pumped full of pain medication that he didn't chastise the other teen for thinking something so foolish.

Instead he took the ring from his pocket and held it out for Brian to see.

"I forgot about it last night, but technically I should be wearing the ring on my left hand until we get to Canada and make it official," Justin murmured as he toyed with the Claddaugh ring. "That is, of course, if you still want to. I still do, but it's... it's up to you now."

For several long seconds Justin feared the worst. That Brian was going to tell him that he didn't want to go through with it anymore.

Justin was just about to slip the ring back into his pocket when Brian reached out and snatched it from between his thumb and index finger. Brian took Justin's left hand in his own and slipped the ring down onto his fourth finger, crown pointed inwards.

"I still want to," Brian said quietly as he drew Justin's hand back towards him. He linked the fingers of his right hand with Justin's left and let it rest against his chest.


	40. Cohorts in Crime

"What the fuck do you mean you're not going to see Brian this morning?" Debbie demanded in a shrill voice. "You're his fucking boyfriend! You have to go see him."

"Which is why I'm going to see him this afternoon," Justin informed her as he speared the remainder of his waffles and smeared them through a puddle of syrup.

Debbie crossed her arms over her chest and leaned back in her chair. "Is that so? And just why, pray tell, are you not going this morning?"

Justin frowned, not wanting to tell her about the apartment hunt just yet. If he had any chance of keeping it a surprise he had to not tell her. As much as he loved Debbie, she couldn't keep a secret for shit and Justin didn't want Brian to know about the apartment until he was released from the hospital.

"Justin's not going so that I can spend some time with Brian before my flight leaves this afternoon," Claire volunteered as she entered the kitchen.

"Oh, well that's all right then," Debbie said, picking up her coffee cup.

Even though he would never admit to it, Justin knew that Brian was upset that his sister had to leave so soon. It couldn't be helped, though. Claire's life was in Atlanta and she had classes the next morning. She had wanted to stay until Brian was out of the hospital before going home, but her brother had convinced her to go back home, claiming that there was no reason for her to stay since he was only in the hospital to make sure that the bullet wound didn't become infected. If it showed no sign of infection by Tuesday they'd put him in a cast then he'd be going home. Hopefully to a new apartment.

~*~*~

Brian's leg had been aching for the past three hours, but he didn't want to call a nurse because she would only pump him full of pain meds which would have him out of whack for several hours. Since Brian didn't want that he endured the pain as he idly flipped through the less than stellar television channels while he waited for breakfast.

"Hey there, baby brother," Claire greeted as she slipped into the room in the middle of the Today Show. "I come bearing some of Justin's fantastic waffles."

Brian couldn't help but perk up at that. Whenever Justin made waffles there was usually some type alcoholic syrup involved. "What type of syrup?"

"He sent little containers of both, but after sampling them this myself I'm not sure I should let you have either," Claire teased as she scooped both tupperware containers out of her purse and waggled them in her right hand. "The last time I checked you weren't allowed to give alcohol to patients."

"Don't taunt the invalid," Brian insisted, sitting up straighter.

Giggling, Claire crossed the room and set the container with the waffles and the ones holding the two syrups down on the movable tray next to the bed. "I wouldn't dream of it. But I'd better not get in trouble for this."

"You're the best," Brian grinned, his pain forgotten as he reached for the tray and slid it towards him.

The two sat in silence while Brian started on the waffles. Brian knew that his sister was leaving later that afternoon and that they probably wouldn't see each other for at least a few months, and even though he knew that he would miss her, he couldn't help but be glad that she was leaving. Claire would be safer when she left. She would no longer be near him and wouldn't be susceptible to his bad luck. He wished that he could talk Justin into going to New York without him, but the blonde was nothing if not determined.

And even though he would never admit to it then, Brian was glad that Justin was so stubborn. Brian knew that he would have done everything in his power to push Justin away from him if the blonde hadn't been so persistent. He would have forced away the one thing that made his life bearable.

"I ran into one of the nurses on the way in and she told me that you're going to be in a cast and on your way home soon," Claire said, interrupting the comfortable silence that had fallen between the two of them.

"Home, yeah," Brian mumbled, pushing the waffles around on his plate.

~*~*~

"This is it," Justin murmured as he followed the building manager, Rodney, into the small apartment, Vic trailing behind him. "This is the place."

Stepping further into the apartment, Justin began wandering around, scanning the empty area that would be their living room. The building was old so all of the floors were hardwood and there was a great deal of light coming in through the many windows. The apartment had an open concept design-- the owner's daughter was an architect who been in charge of the renovations two years before --so with the exception of the bathroom everything else was contained in one large room that was divided naturally by support beams. There were all sorts of corners and alcoves that kept the space from being simply a large box and appealed to Justin's artistic nature. The small galley style kitchen with two stools pushed up to the counter acted as a table and the bathroom, the only enclosed room in the apartment, had a clawed tub and a shower curtain with rubber ducks on it that Justin knew Brian would get rid of immediately. The whole apartment was only about the size of Debbie and Vic's kitchen and living room, but Justin loved it immediately. Even more so because it was in their price range.

"We'll take it. This place is gorgeous and Brian and I can afford it so we'll take it," Justin said to the manager, practically bouncing up and down in his excitement.

Rodney turned his gaze away from Vic, smiling at Justin instead. "Let's go down to my office and see what we can come up with."

~*~*~

Brian knew that something was up the minute that Justin entered the room. The blonde was practically bouncing off the walls, a huge grin splitting his features.

"What's got you so happy?" Brian asked as he struggled into a more upright position.

"I can't tell you," Justin giggled as he swaggered up to the bed, leaning over to brush a kiss to Brian's lips. "At least not today. You will find out very soon, I promise."

"That's very ominous," Brian murmured, leaning back against the pillows and barely resisting the urge to draw Justin into his arms. He wanted the comfort, but needed even more to be strong. He knew that he would not always have Justin there with him. Justin would eventually leave him, just like everyone else. It was inevitable.

"Knock it off," Justin ordered as he carefully settled himself in the empty space next to brunette. "You're not allowed to brood."

Brian huffed out an amused snort, barely resisting the urge to roll his eyes. "Given everything that's happened this weekend I think I'm allowed a little."

Undeterred, Justin's grin only seemed to grow. "And I fully understand your need to brood. The only problem is that you, my beloved fiancée, are highly prone to over-indulgence. Once I let you start brooding it would take a natural catastrophe to get you to stop."

Despite himself, Brian felt a smile tugging up the corners of his mouth. He reached over and tugged the smaller man into a loose embrace. "I promise I won't brood if you tell me what's got you so excited," he tried, hoping to entice his lover into revealing his secret.

"Brian...." Justin moaned, his grin turning into a mocking frown. Then, in feigned seriousness, added, "That's cheating."

Brian merely shrugged his shoulders. "So?"

"I can't tell you," Justin said in all honesty a few moments later. "I want it to be a surprise. For when you come home."

"This had better be worth it," Brian sighed dramatically, earning him a chuckle from the blonde.

~*~*~

Wanting to see her children and grandchildren enjoying their inheritances while she was still living, Viviene Taylor didn't hesitate to allow Justin access to the trust she had set up for him when he told her why he needed the money. Under normal circumstances he wouldn't have access to the money until he was twenty-five, but his grandmother had deemed the setting up of his first home worth being able to dip into the account. Not having extravagant tastes despite his upbringing, Justin, with Vic's help, set about furnishing his and Brian's new apartment with second hand furniture and accessories purchased almost entirely at the Big Q.

It was only their first apartment so Justin didn't expect it to be some elegant, upscale apartment. Instead it was what it was; a simple apartment with simple furnishings. The only real extravagance Justin allowed for was the bed. Set almost entirely within an alcove, the bed was a massive four poster piece made of dark wood, queen size and with very ornate carvings on the posts. It had been a gift from Justin's grandmother.

_"Consider this a wedding present," Viviene said to Justin as stood in the guest room looking at the bed which she was gifting to her grandson. "My mother gave this to me on my wedding day and I always meant to give it to the first of my grandchildren to get married. And even though it hasn't happened yet, you are the first."_

_"But I'm only moving into a little apartment with Brian," Justin protested as he ran his hand over the nearest post. "It will be so completely out of place."_

_"But you're an artist, my dear boy. You'll make it fit," Viviene assured him._

The next day a movie company had come to deliver and set up the bed and once he saw it Justin had been able to decide on the colours for the walls. All rich and warm, making the interior of the small apartment very cozy. Cinnamon in the kitchen, mocha in the living room, cream in the bathroom and gold in the bedroom. The four main colours were also used as accents in the other rooms, drawing all of the colours together and unifying the apartment.

While it meant working nearly non-stop in the apartment when he wasn't with Brian at the hospital, Justin didn't mind and by Wednesday morning he had all of the painting done. That night he had graduation and the next morning Brian was being released. By then everything would be in order and when Justin went to pick Brian up he would be able to take him home to their new apartment.

~*~*~

"It really sucks that you can't come," Justin grumbled as he sat down on the edge of the hospital bed. "It would only be for a couple hours and your leg is pretty solid in that big metal contraption. And besides that, I really want to graduate with you. Side by side."

"Side by side," Brian echoed, pushing his bangs away from his face.

Justin frowned briefly before his face was split in a huge grin as he reached into his messenger bag to pull out an assortment of what looked like magazines. "While I'm gone, I've got a task for you. My grandmother has decided that she wants to send us wherever we want in Canada to get married that way we can get married and have a honeymoon all at once. After everything that's happened she feels that we could use a break."

Brian stared in awe at the small stack of travel guides Justin placed on his lap. "Your grandmother is sending us to Canada to get married? Why?"

"Because she wants me to be happy," Justin shrugged casually. "And you just happen to make me very happy. So once you're out of the cast, we'll go get married...." The blonde wavered slightly, glancing down at his lap, frowning. "If you want to, that is. Just tell me if I'm overdoing things. I'll back off if you want me to."

Instantly Brian felt contrite for once again throwing Justin off. There was no reason for the blonde to suffer from his foul mood. Brian reached over, running his fingertips over the back of Justin's hand which rested upon his thigh, lacing their fingers together. He smiled softly when Justin squeezed his fingers, a silent indication that he had been forgiven.

"You're not overdoing things, Justin," Brian assured him, tugging lightly on Justin's hand in hopes of getting the blonde to look in his direction. "I'm just a little shocked. I figured that it would just be the two of us driving across the border and getting married by some judge. I never thought that.... I never thought someone would try to make it special."

"Well get used to it," Justin grinned as he brought their joined hands to his lips, pressing a kiss to the back of Brian's knuckles. "In a little while my grandmother will be your grandmother and she'll be more than eager to spoil you too."

"Let's just wait and see," Brian sighed, not quite ready to give into Justin's optimistic mood no matter how much he wanted to. "You'd better get going. You'll be late and Deb will never let you hear the end of it."

Sighing, Justin brushed the fingertips of his free hand over Brian's bangs. "I wish you could come. But I promise to be back as soon as it's over."

"No rush," Brian whispered as he allowed himself to be guided into a tender kiss.

"I'll be back as soon as I can," Justin repeated as he reluctantly climbed off the bed.

Brian watched Justin go, shifting uncomfortably on the bed. He'd been sitting still for far too long and needed to move about. Brian wanted to stretch and twist every joint in his body, but was forced to be still so that he would not injure his leg further. Brian couldn't wait for the day when he would be able to bend his right knee even though he knew that day was a long way in coming. Brian longed to be able to lie in Justin’s arms without having to worry about who would walk in on them at any given moment. He wanted to be able to fall asleep next to Justin and wake up beside him in the morning without people wandering in and waking him up countless times by nurses checking up on him.

More than anything, though, he wanted to make Justin happy. Justin deserved to be happy after everything he had gone through because of him.

~*~*~

"Your high school graduation is a very important time in all your lives," Dr. J. Bower, principal of St. James Academy said as he began his speech. "It marks the point between childhood and adulthood. There is not one of you who will be the same when you leave this building tonight. You will be high school graduates and about to start out on the next phase of your life.

"This year has not been without blemish. There have been events, especially within the past few weeks, that I would gladly take back. In my heart I know that every precaution that could have been taken was...."

Justin had to bite hard on the inside of his tongue to keep from shouting at the principal. Bower acted all contrite about what Chris Hobbs had done to Brian when Justin knew that all the older man wanted to do was shove the incident under the rug. He would much rather not admit that something like that could happen at his school.

Instead he sat there scowling, waiting for his name to be called so that he could collect his diploma and go back to Brian. Brian, who had been hurt because the school had failed to protect him. Hobbs' threats had merely been written off as male posturing and ignored as such.

When it came time to give out the actual diplomas, the vice-principal read off the names while the Dr. Bower handed out the diplomas and shook the student's hand.

"Jessica Lewicki.... Braeden Kenroy.... Tonya Kingston...."

"If it's not too much trouble, I'd like to get my diploma," a voice called from the back of the auditorium.

Justin was on his feet in and instant, turning towards the voice, already knowing who was there, but shocked by his presence nonetheless.

"Brian," he gasped, staring at his boyfriend with wide eyes.

Very slowly, Brian began to hobble down the main aisle of the auditorium, unsure on the metal crutches.

~*~*~

 

It had taken a great deal of effort, but Brian had managed to convince his doctor to let him out of the hospital to attend his graduation. He still had the metal brace on his leg which made him slightly unbalanced, but he was determined to be there with Justin. Justin wanted them to graduate side by side and Brian was going to give him that.

He felt slightly out of place dressed in a pair of black track pants, the right leg unbuttoned to the middle of his thigh to accommodate the brace holding the healing bone immobile, and a white t-shirt, but they'd been the only clothes he had at the hospital. And now that all the eyes were on him, Brian wanted to disappear back the way he'd come. It was too late, though. Justin was standing and Brian met his eyes for a moment before he began the difficult task of making it to the stage.

Brian was breathing heavily by the time reached the stage, sweat having broken out along his hairline and upper lip. The entire time, though, not a single person had spoken. Not even principal Bower who was staring at him in disbelief. It wasn't until Brian began to mount the stage that everyone was snapped out of their trance.

"It appears as though I was misinformed and that Brian Kinney is here to accept his diploma," the vice-principal, a usually soft spoken woman that Brian had always gotten along with said as he struggled up the stairs.

Even though he could feel his limbs beginning to tremble, Brian refused to give into the exhaustion that was creeping in on him. Instead he fought it, willing the tremors away as he held out his hand to receive the rolled piece of paper that declared him to be a high school graduate. His grip was tight as he shook Dr. Bower's hand, refusing to show any weakness to the man who had always taken Hobbs' side over his own.

He dismissed the man quickly, but readily accepted the loose hug from Jasmine Bachias, the vice-principal, who was smiling broadly at him.

Her smile was nothing, though, compared to the blinding one that greeted him as he reached the stairs leading back down to the main floor of the auditorium. Justin stood there in cap and gown waiting to help him down the stairs.

"I am so fucking proud of you," Justin said as he wound an arm around Brian's waist to help hold him steady as they descended the stairs.

"You wanted me here," Brian gasped, more exhausted than he cared to admit.

"You're insane, Kinney, but I love you anyway."

"Same here, Sunshine."


	41. Cohorts in Crime

"Get me the fuck outta here," Brian demanded as he pulled the black t-shirt over his head. "Get me out of this hospital and back home."

"Hold on, big guy," Justin giggled, stuffing the boxers and tee Brian had been wearing as pajamas into his backpack. "We've still gotta wait for the nurse to come back with your wheelchair."

Brian rolled his eyes and carefully eased himself off the bed. Balancing himself on the crutches, Brian slipped his left foot into a rubber sports slide then adjusted the right leg of his cargo shorts over the top of his cast. "I don't need a wheelchair. I'm a big boy, I can use the crutches."

To prove his point, Brian began hobbling about the hospital room on the crutches, grateful for the ability to be able to move around outside of the bed. He was going to be stuck in a cast for at least another two months, but at least he wasn't going to be confined to a bed. Brian definitely wasn't looking forward to managing the stairs at Deb's. Those would be a bitch and a half.

"Here you go, Mr. Kinney," the nurse said as she entered pushing a wheelchair. "Hop on in and we'll get you out of here."

"I don't hop," Brian grumbled as he reluctantly lowered himself into the wheelchair.

"I'm gonna run ahead and get the jeep," Justin said as he extracted the crutches from Brian's hands. Leaning down, he brushed his lips against Brian's for a quick kiss. "See you in a few minutes."

Brian stared after his lover... fiancée. Justin was his fiancé. Even after five days Brian still had a hard time believing that he and Justin were going to get married, ceremony and all. Even a honeymoon. It was beyond anything he'd ever imagined possible for him. Not that he'd ever thought about getting married, of course.

"You are a very lucky man," the nurse said casually as she began to push Brian towards the elevators. "I'd kill to have a boyfriend like that. So would many other girls I know."

Brian pursed his lips to quell the grin he could feel tugging at the corners of his mouth.

~*~*~

As he settled himself in the jeep, Justin could not stop the sudden wave of panic overtake him now that it was time to reveal his big secret to Brian. All week he had been hiding the fact that he'd bought and decorated an apartment for them without any consultation from his soon-to-be husband. There was a very good possibility that Brian would hate the apartment and the fact that Justin had chosen it all without him.

Shaking that fear away, Justin started up the jeep and drove towards the hospital entrance where Brian was waiting on his crutches. The nurse was hovering near the sliding doors, keeping an eye on her charge until he was officially picked up.

Justin put the car in park when he reached the bit of sidewalk where Brian was waiting and was reaching for the door handle when the back passenger side door opened and the crutches were shoved inside.

"You need any help?" Justin called, barely resisting the urge to climb out and help Brian.

"I got it."

Justin found himself gripping the steering wheel with a white knuckle grip to keep from reaching over and helping Brian into the jeep. The only thing that was stopping him was knowing that Brian wouldn't react well to any unasked for help. Brian preferred to be independent, especially when he was sick or hurt. Having to fend for himself while his parents did nothing for the first seventeen years of his life, Brian had all sorts of walls constructed around himself that Justin knew he would be battling for years to come. In the end it would be worth it, though. Because Brian was worth it. Brian would always be worth it.

With a great deal of shuffling and a few grunts, Brian got himself situated in the passenger seat of the jeep and shut the door. He was slightly flushed from the effort it had taken to get in the jeep, but looked quite content with the fact he had done it on his own.

"All right, Sunshine, get us the fuck out of here," Brian gasped, fumbling briefly with his seatbelt before finally it fastened.

Pursing his lips, Justin nodded his head and pulled away from the hospital entrance.

~*~*~

It hadn't taken Brian long to figure out that Justin wasn't taking him back to Deb and Vic's. Granted they were heading in the same general direction of their pseudo-parents' house, but not quite. The only thing keeping Brian from questioning Justin about their destination was the fact that the blonde was practically knawing through his lower lip. Brian would have been too except they weren't heading towards the airport.

They were nearing Liberty Avenue before Justin spoke again. "Do you remember last year when we made plans to move into our own apartment once we'd graduated from high school?"

"Kinda hard to forget," Brian smirked, tilting his head towards the blonde. "You weren't planning on taking me apartment hunting today, were you? 'Cause, I've gotta tell you, I'm not sure how long I'm gonna be able to stay mobile."

"Actually, I um... I already signed a lease and moved all our stuff into one," Justin murmured as he pulled the vehicle to a stop in front of an apartment building.

Brian wasn't too sure how to react to the news. He and Justin had always talked about getting a place of their own once they finished high school, but he had never actually thought that it would happen. Now here he was, sitting outside of what he assumed was his new apartment. A place that would be his and Justin's home.

"Is there at least an elevator?" Brian said at last, a smile quirking the corners of his lips.

~*~*~

Justin couldn't stop himself from fidgeting as they rode the elevator up to their third floor apartment. He really wanted Brian to like the apartment. He'd tried his best to keep both of their tastes in mind when he'd decorated it, but he couldn't be completely sure that he'd done it right. Brian might not like some of the colours that he'd chosen or the way he'd arranged the living room or the plates and silverware he'd bought.... There was so much that Brian could dislike and so much that he might not be able to fix.

"Calm down, Sunshine," Brian chided, reaching over to cup Justin's cheek. "You don't need to get so worked up about all of this. It's an apartment. I know I'll love it."

Justin wanted to believe him, but he couldn't quite curb his panic. He really wanted Brian to like the new apartment since it was going to be their home for the next four years while they both attended college. Justin had been there when Brian had called the board of admissions at Carnegie Mellon to make sure that he was enrolled for the fall semester and that he was still going to receive his scholarship. Brian had received confirmation on both parts and after a trip to PIFA Justin was enrolled in the art school's visual arts program for the fall. Brian had protested that Justin should still go on to New York without him, but Justin wouldn't hear of it. He wasn't going to marry Brian only to move to another state within a few months.

"So what's our view like?" Brian asked as they exited the elevator.

Fishing his keys out of his pocket, Justin allowed a grin to curve his lips. "You'll just have to wait and see, Bri. Now close your eyes."

"Um, on crutches here," Brian reminded him, leaning on his left crutch and waving the right about.

"And you can shuffle forward with your eyes closed," Justin countered as he placed the key in the lock. He didn't turn it, though, instead looking over his shoulder at Brian who let out an amused huff and obediently shut his eyes.

"If I break my other leg you're gonna pay," Brian grumbled good naturedly. "Now open the door, Sunshine. I wanna see where we're gonna be living."

"Okay. Okay," Justin chuckled, shaking his head slightly as he unlocked the door. "Now, just remember, I'm not completely done. I had to do this really quick so that it would be livable by the time you got out of the hospital. So if you don't like anything just let me know now because it'll be easier to change it now rather than waiting for--"

"Justin!" Brian interrupted him.

Justin nodded his head, spinning back around to open the door. "Right. Door. Opening the door now." Once he was inside the apartment, Justin reached back and latched onto Brian's arm, guiding him inside. "Careful, Bri. Two more shuffles forward and you'll be in our new home."

"Can I open my eyes yet?" the brunette laughed, stopping when Justin touched a hand to his chest. "'Cause this is kinda screwing with my equilibrium."

"All right, all right, open your eyes," Justin stammered, fluttering his hands about nervously and barely resisting the urge to cover his own eyes.

~*~*~

Brian slowly blinked his eyes open, staring in awe at what Justin had been able to accomplish in such a short time. There were so many of them in the apartment that it already looked like a home even though they hadn't lived in it yet. Some of Justin's larger pieces were hanging on the walls and there were shelves installed on the living room wall containing Brian's books. Pillows that Deb had made and had been on Brian's bed were now on the couch. Their surrogate mother had also sent along some of her decorative oddities which were scattered about various flat surfaces. Much of the furniture was obvious second hand, the rest easy to assemble pieces from the Big Q. Except for the gorgeous antique bed.

"Justin, this is.... How in the fuck did you manage this?" Brian gasped as he hobbled further into the apartment. 

"So you like it?" Justin asked nervously as he came to stand beside Brian.

Swiveling his head around, Brian stared at Justin with wide eyes. "Are you fucking insane? Justin, this is amazing.... Hell, even that doesn't do this place justice." Sobering, he maneuvered himself about so that he was facing Justin, making sure that the blonde was meeting his eyes before he spoke again. "Justin, this is more than I ever would have let myself hope for when we first said we were going to get an apartment together. I was picturing us camping out in some pathetic dump with a mattress on top of shipping skids. This looks like a real home. Our home."

"That sounds suspiciously sentimental," Justin teased lightly, leaning forward to touch his forehead to Brian's.

"I blame it on my pain meds," Brian murmured, his voice filled with mock seriousness. "Chemical imbalance."

Smirking in return, Justin stepped back behind Brian in order to shut the door. "Nice try, Bri, but you've officially blown your cover. You're a closet sentimental."

Rolling his eyes, Brian moved deeper into the apartment, taking everything in. He hadn't lied when he said that it was amazing. He was in awe of what Justin had been able to accomplish in such a short amount of time and without him knowing.

"The bed is a wedding present from my grandmother," Justin spoke up as Brian neared the area that would be their bedroom. "I'm the first grandchild to get married which means I got to inherit the bed. We did. You don't think it looks out of place, do you?"

Brian arched an eyebrow in his direction. "You mean does a bed that looks like it belongs in a castle fit in an apartment in Pittsburgh?" Justin was biting his lip nervously so Brian reached over and pulled him into a sideways hug. "No it doesn't look out of place. It looks perfect. Absolutely wonderful. Now stop stressing and get in here with me."

It took a great deal of shuffling, but before long Brian was stretched out alongside Justin, both of them without a stitch of clothes on. Keeping his right leg pressed against the mattress, Brian rolled himself over in order to wind himself around Justin. It seemed like a lifetime since he had been so comfortable. He'd been stuck on his back all week, not able to stretch and move about as he would have preferred. At that moment, however, Brian was only interested in staying wrapped up in Justin's arms.

~*~*~

"You'd better not be planning on falling asleep," Justin murmured as he felt Brian's breathing begin to even out. "Deb and Vic are coming over for dinner and they expect you to be conscious."

"But I'm comfortable." Brian's warm breath puffing against his chest caused a shiver to run down Justin's spine. "And I really don't want to get dressed. It's been a week since I was naked of my own free will."

Justin snorted in amusement. "It's been five days and if I remember correctly you were naked several times of your own free will."

"Letting the nurse give me a sponge bath is not of my own free will," Brian informed him, lifting his head from Justin's chest in order to see the blonde's face. "Letting you take over was."

"Either way you were naked," Justin grinned then lifted his head so that he was able to catch Brian's lips in a quick kiss. As he'd hoped, Brian followed him down, continuing the kiss as Justin settled back against the pillows.

When the kiss ended, Brian lowered his head to press a second kiss to Justin's chest before lying his head down. "Wake me up in time to get ready."

With that, Brian did what Justin hadn't expected him to do and fell asleep. He stared down at the top of Brian's head, not fully believing that his fiancée had fallen asleep so easily. Justin had hoped to at least be able to fool around for a little bit before that happened. Unfortunately, he couldn't be upset given that Brian had just gotten out of the hospital. So instead he settled down to wait for the time when Brian was in a deep enough sleep for him to slip away without waking him up.

~*~*~

"Sunshine, you little shit!" Deb cried as she entered the apartment, smacking Vic upside the head at the same time. "Why didn't either of you tell me about this?"

Brian arched an eyebrow as he made his way towards the kitchen where everyone was gathering. "Deb, your knick-knacks are all over the place. How could you _not_ have known?"

Deb glared at her brother who was fiddling with the oven so that he could reheat the tray of cannelloni the siblings had brought with them. "A certain someone who shall remain nameless-- Victor Grassi --snuck them out of the house without me knowing. But they look absolutely wonderful so I'll forgive him."

"Don't look at me," Brian said, holding up his hands to defend himself from Deb's exuberance. "I only found out about it when Justin brought me here instead of going back to your place."

The brunette watched in amusement as Justin was pulled into a bone crushing hug, doing nothing whatsoever to free his lover. Instead he hobbled over to where Vic was standing which put the counter between him and Deb.

"It's good to see you happy again," Vic commented as moved the desert a safe distance away from the stove. "You and Justin both. The two of you deserve it."

"We're getting there," Brian confirmed, unable to keep his lips from forming into a grin. "I'm actually starting to believe that this is going to happen.... That we have a place of our own, that we'll both go to school here in Pittsburgh... that we'll get married. Justin really wants this happily ever after and I'm finally starting to see what he's talking about."

~*~*~

Justin moaned as he thrust himself down on Brian's cock, relishing the slow fiction. Because Brian was unable to bend his right knee, he was sprawled out on his back, clutching desperately at Justin's hips as the artist moved against him. Placing his hands on either side of Brian's head, Justin leaned over so that he was able to catch Brian's lips with his own.

"God, I love you," Brian moaned as he brought one hand up to tangle in Justin's hair. "So fucking much."

"Love you too," Justin grinned against Brian's mouth. "More than I will ever be able to say."

The head of Brian's cock bumped suddenly against his prostrate, forcing a scream from Justin's lips as he arched his back. He continued to grind his hips at that angle, his breath catching each time Brian's dick rubbed over the gland. However, Justin was not so lost in his pleasure that he didn't realize Brian was tiring. Squeezing the muscles in his ass, Justin sped up his pace in order to bring their climaxes about sooner.

Sitting upright, Justin watched the beautific expressions that overtook Brian's face as he orgasmed. His upper body shuddered violently for a moment and was then still as Justin felt a gush of warmth inside him. Quite spent himself, Justin slumped forward onto Brian's chest, squishing his own come between their chests.

"I'm tingling all over," Brian giggled, his eyes fluttering closed. "I can feel each nerve ending."

"Is that so?" Justin smirked, pressing a kiss to Brian's shoulder.

Brian nodded his head, a yawn splitting his jaw open wide. "It is. Can't you feel it? I feel like I'm vibrating."

"Are you sure those were pain meds you took?"

Brian yawned a second time, wiggling around a bit as he draped his arms around Justin's sweat-slick body. "My leg doesn't hurt."

Justin grinned, but remained silent, hoping that Brian would fall asleep in the ensuing silence. Justin wasn't tired himself, but he knew that Brian was still recovering. And, in any event, Justin simply didn't want to move. Though Brian's penis had softened, it still gave Justin a wonderfully full feeling. After a while, Brian's breathing began to even out and once Justin was sure he was sleeping soundly, he eased himself off his fiancée and padded into the bathroom to get a wet washcloth to clean themselves up with.

He paused in the bathroom doorway, staring at Brian's slumbering form. Sprawled on his back with his left leg bent and his arms hanging loosely at his sides, Brian looked very beautiful in the dim light from the bathroom. His hair was all mussed up and there was a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. Justin continued to watch Brian for a few extra minutes before stepping into the bedroom and towards the bed.


	42. Cohorts in Crime

"Come on, Brian, you have to get up now," Justin murmured as he crawled from the foot of the bed and carefully sprawled himself half on top of Brian who was half-buried under comforters.

The man in question shook his head, burrowing his face against the pillows. "Don't wanna. I'm comfortable. Get in here and get comfortable too."

It was a very enticing offer, one that Justin really wanted to accept. He wanted nothing more than to stay hidden away in their apartment and pretend that that day wasn't happening. Justin snuggled even closer to Brian, pressing his lips to his fiancée's throat as he wiggled his way under the covers. He was careful not to jar Brian too much or whack his own leg against the cast. Justin had woken up one too many times during the night after knocking his shin or his foot against the plaster cast. Justin didn't mind, though. Brian was sleeping in their bed in their apartment and that was all that Justin really wanted.

"You know that we're going to have to get up and get ready soon right?" Justin said quietly after a few minutes.

"Or we can just pretend that today is tomorrow and stay in bed all day."

Tempting as it was to stay hidden away in the bedroom, Justin knew that they couldn't. They had to be at the courthouse in a few hours for Chris Hobbs' preliminary hearing. Justin didn't really see the point of them going since neither of them were testifying and it was just a matter of Hobbs standing up pleading either guilty or not, but the prosecution said that it would be better if the two of them were there. Justin didn't like the idea of them being paraded around like props, but if it would help Hobbs be convicted he was willing to do it.

"But it's not tomorrow," Justin whispered, nudging Brian's messy bangs away from his eyes with a fingertip. "It's today and today we have to go to the courthouse."

Even though his eyes were already closed, Brian squeezed the lids shut tighter. He started to tremble slightly so Justin hugged Brian closer to him. "I feel like such a pussy."

"You're not a pussy," Justin assured him, dipping his head down so that he could peer up at Brian's face. "You could never be a pussy."

Brian snorted, a smirk twisting his lips. "You're more than a little biased, Sunshine."

Justin shrugged his shoulders. "There's nothing wrong with that. I like being biased where you're concerned."

~*~*~

Brian pursed his lips as he climbed out of the Rigby in the courthouse parking lot, carefully steadying himself holding onto the jeep's frame. He really didn't want to be there. He already had to go into the hospital later in the week to have a second surgery to strengthen the shattered bone in his calf and had wanted to spend the days before relaxing with Justin and not stuck in a courtroom with the asshole that had shot him. The asshole that would have shot Justin.

"We won't be here that long," Justin assured him, jogging around to the jeep with Brian's crutches since it was easier for him to get them out of the backseat than Brian. "Then we can head over to the diner for lunch and forget about it all."

Once Brian got himself properly balanced on the crutches, he and Justin made their way into the courthouse. The hearing wasn't scheduled to begin for another fifteen minutes but already Deb and Vic were there and waiting for them at the bottom of the steps leading into the building. As soon as they were close enough, Deb immediately drew Justin into a bonecrushing hug, Brian being saved from the same fate by virtue of his crutches.

"I was worried that you two wouldn't show up," Deb said, cupping Brian's face between her palms and pressing a lipstick-smearing kiss to his forehead. "I wanted to step by your apartment, but _someone_ wouldn't let me."

As Justin wiped the lipstick from his forehead, Brian grinned over at Vic. "I'm surprise she let you get away with that."

Deb scowled at him and probably would have smacked him upside the head, crutches or no, had Justin not been standing between them. "You're lucky I love you, kid, or you'd be in serious trouble."

"Love you too, Deb."

And even though Brian would have much rather stayed outside in the sun with his family he knew that he had to go inside the courthouse. He had to face Chris Hobbs. He hadn't seen the other teen since the night of the prom and Chris needed to know that he hadn't won. He and Justin were blissfully happy and pretty soon they were going to get married. They'd be happy for the rest of their lives and hopefully Chris would be spending a long time in jail.

"You ready for this?" Justin asked quietly as they slowly made their way up the stairs leading into the courthouse.

Brian pursed his lips, staring up at the imposing doors at the top of the stairs. Chris Hobbs was already inside and even though Brian knew that he needed to face the other teen, the very thought of it terrified him. "Let's just get this overwith."

~*~*~

Next to him, Brian was incredibly tense. His back was ramrod straight, his shoulders pulled back, his hands curled on his lap and his jaw was clenched tight. Justin was surprised that Brian hadn't bit clear through his cheek. Not wanting Brian to suffer in his self-imposed isolation, Justin placed his hand over top of Brian's, forcibly pushing his fingers between Brian's in order to properly grasp his hand.

"Relax, Bri. You're gonna give yourself grey hairs," Justin chastised, leaning in so that his lips brushed against the shell of his lover's ear.

That earned him a sharp glare from Brian even as he squeezed Brian's fingers which were linked between his own. "If I have any grey hairs it's your doing.... But thanks anyway."

Anything else Brian would have said was lost as the judge entered the courtroom. Like everyone else they rose to their feet until the bailiff gave them permission to sit. Brian tensed considerably then and it was all that Justin could do to remain calm himself. On the other side of the room Chris Hobbs sat as though there was nothing out of the ordinary about where he was. He looked calm, confident, and Justin had a sudden terrified thought that Hobbs and the prosecution had made some last minute deal that would get the football player off free of punishment.

The hearing itself was rather simple. The charges would be read and Hobbs would either plead guilty or not. Justin hoped that Chris pleaded guilty. There was no denying that he had shot Brian. The police had the gun. It had Hobbs' fingerprints on it and the bullet that had been extracted from Brian's leg matched the ones that it fired. Given their history it was obvious that Chris was the one who had shot Brian after first threatening Justin.

"You have heard the charges read to you, Christopher Mark Hobbs, and the court now asks how you plead," the judge said, catching Justin's immediately attention.

Beside him, Brian leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees even as his fingers remained twisted with Justin's.

"Your honour, my client pleads guilty to one count of assault with a deadly weapon," Hobbs' lawyer said, his voice echoing around the room.

Judge Rawlings nodded his head and made a few notes on the paper in front of him. "The court accepts your plea, Mr. Hobbs, and will return sentencing in two weeks' time."

~*~*~

Brian hadn't actually believed that Hobbs would admit to what he had done. He had feared that he and Justin were going to be dragged through a long court case that would make the two of them even more of a spectacle than they'd been the previous fall at his parents' trial.

"Come on, Bri, let's go home," Justin murmured, tugging lightly on his arm.

Brian slowly raised his head, staring up at Justin who had already risen to his feet. He wavered momentarily as he reached down to pick up his crutches, but Justin held him steady with hands on his hips. Even after Brian got himself steadied on the crutches, Justin didn't remove his hands.

"Did I tell you that I think you look hot as hell today?" Justin asked when he finally took a step back.

Glancing down at himself, Brian arched an eyebrow when he met Justin's eyes again. He was wearing a pair of dark brown cargo shorts, fitted crimson tee, a black sports jacket and a scuffed up pair of sneakers, nothing special.

"You look like Johnny Depp in Once Upon a Time In Mexico," Justin clarified, a slight grin tugging at the corners of his lips.

"You do realize that he was completely insane and missing his eyeballs in that movie?" Brian smirked as he began shuffling towards the doors leading out of the courtroom.

Justin grin became a full out smile. "He was also sexy as hell. Just like you are."

Despite himself, Brian started to laugh. He was relieved. So very relieved now that he knew Chris was going to suffer some consequences for what he'd done. True, he hadn't been charged with attempted murder-- shooting him at point blank range left little room for any other interpretation --but assault with a deadly weapon was still a pretty serious charge. Plus with the simple assault charge for what he'd done to Justin the night of the art show there was no way that Hobbs was going to avoid spending at least some time in jail.

For the first time in a while, Brian felt truly confident about where things were going. In about a month he and Justin were flying to Toronto to get married and a few weeks after that he'd be starting at Carnegie Mellon and Justin would be attending the Pittsburgh Institute of Fine Arts. It wasn't New York, but Brian was sure that they'd get there eventually.

~*~*~

With his left leg tucked between Brian's body and the side of the couch and his right foot on the ground, Justin slowly lowered himself onto Brian's cock which the brunette held in his fist. He gasped as the blunt head of the organ pushed inside him, his head falling back between his shoulder blades. Justin had to keep one hand on the back of the couch to keep himself upright as he slid down the rest of the way until Brian was fully seated inside of him.

"Love you," Brian moaned, clutching at Justin's hips as his entire body trembled with the force of staying still.

Justin leaned forward, holding his weight off Brian with one hand on the arm of the couch, his other hand lightly stroking Brian's cheek. "I love you too," he murmured as he touched his forehead to Brian's.

Brian's hips arched up sharply and Justin couldn't contain a cry. The cry became a moan as Brian's right hand slid between their bodies to wrap around his erection and used the pad of his thumb to toy with slit on the head. His body trembling, Justin began to raise and lower himself along his lover's cock. Then he moved just enough so that the head of Brian's penis brushed against his prostate and Justin arched his back, crying into Brian's mouth.

Their slow, languid movements continued, the two sharing soft kisses as they caressed any available area of flesh. Justin had Brian writhing under him when he dipped his head down to latch onto Brian's nipple, flicking it with the tip of his tongue before drawing it between his lips.

Justin tipped his head back just enough so that he could see Brian's face, grinning at his beatific expression. Brian's skin was flushed and damp, his dark lashes fluttering against his cheeks and his mouth working silently and his thrusts became increasingly erratic.

Then he came. And before Justin's own climax overtook him he imprinted the image in his mind so that he could hopefully draw it later. Justin screamed silently, his body momentarily going rigid before he slumped down on Brian's chest. Both were breathing erratically, but there was an odd harmony to it that became more evident as their breathing slowly evened out. And even though Justin knew that they should move and get cleaned up, he was perfectly content to stay exactly where he was, falling asleep in Brian's arms.

~*~*~

Brian shifted uneasily. If he had it his way he would never set foot in a hospital ever again. Hopefully after this surgery he wouldn't have to. It was after eight o'clock so Justin had been forced to go home since visiting hours were over and Brian was bored out of his mind. He had books and magazines and there was also the television set, but he was still bored. What Brian wanted was to go back home and sleep in his own bed with Justin wrapped around him. He slept better when Justin was there.

The person in the bed next to him snorted in his sleep and shifted about. The sheets made a lot of noise when either of them moved and Brian knew that he would have to be exhausted before he wouldn't be able to ignore the crinkling sheets enough to fall asleep.

The truth was that Brian had been spoiled. The last two times he'd been in the hospital Justin had been allowed to stay with him the whole time. He'd been able to fall asleep in Justin's arms, the blonde's presence alone able to make him forget about the crinkling sheets long enough to fall asleep.

Instead Brian fingered the smooth shells of his bracelet. He wasn't allowed to wear it, doctor's orders, so he kept it on the little bedside table within easy reach. Lifting his hand to turn off the overhead light, Brian got as comfortable as he could manage, holding the cowry shell bracelet in his closed fist.

~*~*~

Justin cursed under his breath as he rushed into the hospital. The alarm hadn't gone off and he'd overslept and was now pretty sure that he'd been too late to see Brian before his surgery. Brian wasn't being put under completely so he would have been able to stay till just before they took him. The doctors were only going to use a local anesthetic and keep Brian conscious during the procedure. There had even been talk of videotaping it for use in a documentary.

"Where the fuck have you been?"

Justin stopped up short, nearly crashing into Debbie. The red-haired waitress had her arms crossed over her ample chest and was glowering at him.

"I'm too late, aren't I?" Justin sighed, stabbing his fingers into his hair. "Shit! I knew I should have double-checked that I'd set the alarm.... Was Brian okay when they took him in? He wasn't freaking out or anything, was he?"

"He was fine," Vic assured him. "A little upset that you weren't there, but he was fine."

Justin squeezed his eyes shut tight knowing that Brian would have been more than just a little upset. Brian was very good at hiding his emotions so if Brian had let that much show he was undoubtedly very upset. Unfortunately there was nothing he could do about it at the moment. He wasn't allowed in the operating room and even if the room did have a viewing window Justin didn't think that he'd be able to see the doctors cutting into Brian. It may have only been a repair job on his damaged leg, but there would still be more of Brian's blood than he would want to see.

"Come on, there's a waiting room on the next floor that the doctor said we should use," Vic said as he began to steer Justin towards the elevators.

~*~*~

Brian knew that he should have been feeling a lot more pain than he actually was. He could barely feel his right leg and the rest of his body was only a little less numb than that. It left Brian feeling very uneasy. He was also trembling slightly though he wasn't sure if that was because of the drugs pumping through his system or being alone in the dimly lit room. Brian didn't feel cold, but no matter how hard he tried he couldn't stop shaking.

"Hey there. They said it was safe to come visit you."

Turning his head towards the doorway, Brian caught sight of a very familiar silhouette. "Justin."

"Yeah, it's me," the shadow confirmed as it slowly moved into the room.

"You weren't here this morning," Brian mumbled, inching his hand across the narrow bed so that he could brush his fingertips against Justin's as soon as he was close enough. "I made them wait as long as they could, but you never came.... Where were you?"

Taking hold of Brian's hand, Justin traced idle patterns on the inside of his palm. "I had the alarm set for the wrong time. It was supposed to go off at seven-thirty, but I still had it set for eight-thirty. I rushed as fast as I could which is why I stink 'cause I didn't have time to take a shower. Vic says I missed you by only a few minutes."

"Lay down," Brian yawned, tugging on Justin's hand. "I want to sleep."

~*~*~

Justin didn't bother to protest because he knew why Brian wanted him to lie down. Moving very carefully to make sure that he didn't jar Brian's leg, Justin stretched out next to the brunette, gathering his upper body in his arms.

"You think I'll be a movie star if my surgery makes it into a documentary?"

Justin laughed quietly along with Brian, touching his lips to his lover's forehead. "I doubt the camera guy focused much on your face. They were more interested in those hot soccer player legs of yours."

Which had apparently been the wrong thing to say.

"'M not a soccer player anymore," Brian grumbled, turning his head away from Justin and shifting a fraction of an inch away.

Rolling on his side, Justin pressed his chest against Brian's back. "Just because you can't play soccer anymore doesn't mean you're not still gonna rule the world. You are still brilliant in case you've forgotten."

As he'd hoped that got an amused snort out of Brian. "I think you're exaggerating a bit."

"I saw your SAT scores, remember? You almost had a perfect score on the thing," Justin reminded him, arching an eyebrow even though Brian wasn't looking at him. "And, besides, at least now I don't have to worry about having you kick soccer balls at my head anymore."

"The only reason the ball ever went near your head was because you kept ducking down," Brian grinned, turning his face back towards Justin's.

"Well either way I don't have to fear for my life," Justin defended himself, leaning over to press a kiss to Brian's slightly chapped lips. "Besides, I'm sure I can find other ways to amuse you."

Brian's smile was much more obvious. "I'm sure you will."


	43. Cohorts in Crime

Brian didn't think he'd ever seen someone smile so much. They'd only been in Niagara Falls for a few hours and Justin had yet to stop smiling. He'd been smiling since they'd boarded the airplane back in Pittsburgh, practically bouncing off the walls when they said goodbye to Deb and Vic. Brian was a little sad that Deb and Vic couldn't go with them, but in the end he really only wanted it to be the two of them. If he could have arranged it there would have only been the two of them there, not even a priest, when they got married.

"I hope you're not expecting me to go on the Maid of the Mist," Brian murmured, nudging his arm against Justin's. "It's not exactly good for a cast."

Even though he didn't think it was possible, Justin's smile got even bigger. "Then we can just get a second rain poncho for your cast. Wrap it all up so it won't get wet."

Brian groaned, dropping his forehead against the side of Justin's head. "Please don't make me go on the Maid of the Mist. No touristy activities."

Justin made a series of grumbling noises that Brian couldn't quite interpret. He nodded his head, though. Slowly, and with seeming reluctance, Justin consented to Brian's request. Brian maneuvered his head down slightly so that he could press a kiss to Justin's temple, silently offering up his thanks.

"We don't need to be tourists, Justin. We're getting married. That's what's important," Brian insisted, running his hand along the blonde's forearm.

"So what are we going to do then, oh great wedding planner?" Justin sighed dramatically, leaning against the rail that surrounded the falls.

Brian merely smirked, shifting about for a more comfortable position on his crutches. "I know you really don't have to ask that question, Justin."

Justin stared up at him in confusion for a few moments before sharing Brian's smirk. "I just hope that your knee can hold out that long."

~*~*~

Justin sighed loudly, repositioning his bangs yet again in order to perfect a just out of bed look. No matter how hard he tried, though, it didn't look right. Giving up momentarily, Justin took a step back to make sure that his clothes were all right. He had brought black slacks and a plain white button down, not wanting to dress up too much for the occasion. No suit jackets or ties, just slacks and untucked dress shirts with most of the buttons undone. Or, in Brian's case, another pair of his knee-length shorts that he'd taken to wearing to accommodate his cast.

"Our meeting with the Justice of the Peace is in an hour, prima donna," Brian called from the bed where he was lounging watching television. "You'd better hurry up."

Justin glared through the open doorway before turning his attention back to his hair. "I'd be finished already if you hadn't spent so much time in here first, Bri."

"Perfection takes time, Sunshine."

"Perfection takes time," Justin mimicked, scowling into the mirror. "You're lucky that I love you so much. Asshole."

Brian let out a boisterous laugh that brought an immediate smile to Justin's face. "You're such a romantic."

Giving up on his hair, Justin moved back into the main part of their room where Brian was sprawled out on the king sized bed. He must have been shifting around a bit because the hem of his shirt had moved up enough to reveal a patch of skin above his shorts. Brian was barefoot also and his left foot was dangling over the side of the bed, his toes digging into the plus carpet. To Justin he looked sexy as hell.

Brian's attention was focused on the television so Justin crossed the room quietly and crawled onto the bed, straddling Brian's hips. "Hey, babe."

"Someone looks hot," Brian murmured, sliding his hands up to Justin's hips.

"And for once it's not just you," the blonde smirked in response.

Brian pinched the skin just above the hem of Justin's pants. "Knock it off, Justin. You're fucking hot and you know it."

As Justin watched, the muscles in Brian's stomach contracted and then they were sitting chest to chest. Justin scooted backwards a little bit so that Brian could sit more upright and put less strain on his back while at the same time slipping his hands behind Brian's neck so that their faces remained close.

"We're getting married soon," Justin whispered as he touched his forehead to Brian's. "In less than an hour we're going to be married."

"Pretty scary, boys and girls," Brian mumbled, pursing his lips.

~*~*~

Staring at Justin's face, Brian couldn't help but believe in the artist's insistence that they were going to live happily ever after. They were standing in an elevator on their way up to the sixth floor of the City Hall where Justice Roberts was going to marry them. It was surreal. Something that Brian had never thought would happen. Two years ago Brian never would have even considered such a thing. All that he had cared about was getting through his last two years of high school so that he could get out of his parents' house and finally be free.

"You look like I'm about to walk you to the executioner's block," Justin smirked from the opposite side of the elevator.

"I'm good, Justin," Brian murmured, offering up a more relaxed smile. "Pre-wedding jitters is all."

Justin's smile never wavered. "As long as you don't leave me standing at the alter by myself...."

Brian shook his head immediately and would have crushed the distance between them in a rush if it weren't for his crutches. With them, however, Brian could only stare at Justin and shake his head. "I'm marrying you, Justin. Nothing is going to stop me from marrying you."

There was a _ding_ and then the elevator doors slid open. Centering his balance, Brian hurried out of the elevator before the doors shut then paused to wait for Justin to catch up to him.

"Time to get married," Justin said as he came to stand alongside Brian.

Glancing to his right and at the door of Justice Roberts' office, Brian nodded his head. "That it is."

~*~*~

"Love is a word that is passed around often and without thought. To most it is an idle word without much meaning. Today, however, the two of you enter into a bond of love that defies meaning. Your love has brought you here today, a place far from your home, to pledge that love and join your lives into a single life.... Brian, do you take this man to be your husband? Do you swear to love him above all others, devote yourself to him and his happiness and live with him in a married state, forsaking all others?"

"I do."

"Justin, do you take this man to be your husband? Do you swear to love him above all others, devote yourself to him and his happiness and live with him in a married state, forsaking all others?"

"I do."

"Brian, I ask you now to take your ring and, as you place it on Justin's finger, say your vow."

"I'd never expected this, Justin. When you crashed into me in that hallway, I never would have expected anything like this. You've been the one constant thing in my life, the one person who has loved me regardless. You gave me a life, one that I love almost as much as I love you. I love you with everything that is in me and I always will."

"Justin, you may now say your vow to Brian."

"You made me feel alive for the first time in my life. There have been a lot of things about the past two years that have hurt, but I know that I am better for them. We are stronger because things haven't exactly been a cake walk. We've gone through a lot to get to this point and with each day that passes I love you more than I would have thought possible the day before. I love you with everything that is in me and I always will."

"As there are none here who would deny you this right, it is my privilege to pronounce you lawfully married spouses."

~*~*~

The words had barely left the woman's mouth when Justin's lips split into a huge grin. His smile only grew when he saw how widely Brian was smiling. Then his face was framed by the taller man's hands and Justin found himself leaning into a kiss that stole his breath. If it wasn't for a fact that they needed to breathe, Justin was certain that the kiss would have lasted a lot longer. As it was the pair only pulled apart just enough to breathe. Their foreheads were pressed together and their lips were only a fraction of an inch apart.

"Congratulations, gentlemen," Justice Roberts chuckled from behind them. "Now if I could break you apart for a moment, there is a marriage certificate that requires your signatures."

Justin stared at Brian in awe for a few endless seconds. "We're married. We're really married."

"Or at least we will be once you sign the paper," Brian smirked, nodding his head over Justin's right shoulder where he assumed Justice Roberts was standing. "Come on, Sunshine, let's sign that marriage certificate."

Justin kept himself glued to Brian's side while they signed the marriage certificate and he was amazed that his signature actual resembled his usual one because his hand was shaking so badly. He did sign it, though. He and Brian. And then it was official. He was married to Brian.

"I wish the two of you every happiness," the woman murmured as she handed them the signed document.

"Thank you."

~*~*~

Brian snatched Justin's hand away from the door before he could open it. Quickly pocketing the keycard himself, Brian grinned over at the blonde who was staring at him in open confusion. There was a surprise waiting for Justin inside and even though the blonde knew nothing about it, Brian still wanted to draw it out. While they had still been at the City Hall, Justin had gone ahead to get their rental and Brian had made a quick call to the hotel, ordering room service for the two of them.

"Jump on my back," Brian instructed as he twisted the knob just enough to open the door a crack.

"What?!"

"You heard me. Jump on my back," Brian repeated, tightening his grip on his crutches. "I can't carry you over the threshold the traditional way, so we're going to have to make due with this one."

Justin eyes widened and his mouth moved silently, flabbergasted. "You're going to carry me over the threshold on your back? Why don't I just carry you?"

"Because you'll either drop me or smack my head or leg off the door jamb," Brian answered rationally. "Now will you please jump on my back so that we can get inside and start our wedding night."

Justin continued to stare at him as though he was absolutely mad and all that Brian could do was grin back. It was something that he needed to do. Brian wasn't going to let Chris Hobbs, who was going to be spending at least the next two years in jail, ruin his wedding night. And since he couldn't carry Justin in his arms, he would have to do the next best thing.

"Brian...." Justin stalled, glancing between Brian and the door and back again.

"You won't be putting any pressure on my right leg. I promise."

Justin heaved a great sigh and moved behind Brian, placing his hands on his shoulders. "You are utterly mad."

"Get to it, husband mine," Brian pressed. "The sooner we get inside the sooner we can start our wedding night."

~*~*~

Pursing his lips, Justin squeezed Brian's shoulders before hopping up, quickly winding his legs around Brian's hips to keep from falling back to the ground. He wrapped his arms around Brian's shoulders, pressing a kiss to the side of Brian's throat to indicate that he was on. Almost immediately Justin nearly jumped off when he felt Brian shudder beneath him. He stayed on, though, mainly because Brian was already moving forward into their room.

Justin completely forgot about his earlier protests when he saw the interior of their room.

The small table in what amounted for their sitting area was set with two orders of cheeseburgers, fries and two chocolate shakes. There were candles scattered about most of the flat surfaces and a single rose lying in the centre of the bed.

Justin slid down Brian's back, catching himself momentarily, before stepping around the taller man to get a better look at the room. "Bri...."

"Were the candles too much?"

Spinning around on his heel, Justin shook his head rapidly. "Not too much. If you'd had them put rose petals all over the bed, _that_ would have been too much. But the single rose is just perfect."

Brian seemed unsure for a moment, but then a smile ghosted across his lips. Then he was beaming, an expression that Justin got to see only too rarely. "Well then. Dinner is served, I guess."

~*~*~

Brian couldn't help but chuckle as Justin grabbed up the Do Not Disturb sign on his way to shut the door. Shaking his head slightly, Brian then hobbled towards the table where their dinner was waiting for them.

"You know what I just realized?" Justin called from the doorway.

Setting his crutches up against the wall, Brian merely arched an eyebrow.

Justin's smile was very wide as he crossed the room and came to stand before Brian. "I just realized that this is the same thing we had to eat the first time we went out together. That night we went to the library and you decided that it would be a good idea to sneak in the washroom window of Woody's. We went to the diner and ordered this after.... We never got a chance to eat it, though."

"This time we will," Brian murmured, lifting a hand to cup Justin's cheek. He then lightly tapped his forehead against Justin's. "Now enough with this romantic shit. I'm starving."

Rolling his eyes, Justin pretended to be fiddling about with one of the candles on the entertainment center while Brian maneuvered himself into his seat. Once he was sure that the other man wasn't going to topple over or hurt himself in some way getting into the seat.

"Twat," Brian mumbled affectionately once Justin had sat down across from him. "I can sit down without falling down."

"Yes, dear," Justin grinned back.

~*~*~

Moaning deep in the back of his throat, Brian stretched his body out as much as possible. His right arm and most of the right side of his body was trapped under Justin's. There was a slight tingling in his arm as the blood flow was constricted, but Brian didn't dare dislodge him. Instead he twisted his body as much as he was able in order to wrap himself around Justin, nuzzling his face into the blonde's throat.

His body was gloriously exhausted, but couldn't manage to fall asleep. His mind was too busy. Brian couldn't make himself believe that he and Justin had really gotten married that day. They were legally married. At least in Canada, they were. Once they returned to the States at the end of the week, their marriage would no longer be valid. 

For the most part, Brian didn't really care.

He and Justin were married. They had promised to spend the rest of their lives together and to love each other. In the moonlight filtering through the window, Justin looked like some otherworldly creature. His pale skin had a slight blue tinge to it and he almost appeared to shimmer. Brian could also see both his and Justin's rings. Justin's right was already a year and a half old. In its third incarnation, Justin's ring, with the heart pointed inwards, was his wedding band. Brian wore an identical one on his left ring finger and also wore his cowry shell bracelet on his left wrist. When they had been planning their trip to Niagara Falls, Brian had offered to get Justin a new ring since it was only a fifteen dollar silver one that he'd bought at a thrift shop. The artist would hear nothing of it, though. Justin didn't want any other ring.

"I hope that you know what you're getting us into," Brian murmured against Justin's throat. Inhaling deeply through his nose, Brian squeezed his eyes shut and willed his body to relax.

~*~*~

Justin scrunched his face up as the sun insistently shone against his closed eyelids, effectively waking him up before he was ready. Blinking his eyes open, Justin squinted until his eyes adjusted to the early morning light. Once he was able to actually see what was around him, Justin no longer minded that he had been woken up.

Facing away from the window, Brian was still sound asleep, his mouth open slightly and his breath coming out in slight wheezes. In the ruddy morning light, Brian's skin seemed to glow. His hair was also sticking up in a myriad of different directions. Justin had always adored the way Brian's hair looked when he first woke up, made even sexier with his sleepy bedroom eyes and full lips.

Noticing a glint out of the corner of his eye, Justin turned his head and found himself staring at the ring that now encircled the base of the fourth finger on Brian's left hand. His smile was immediate and he snuggled back down into the pillows, staring at Brian's face, locking away every detail in his mind so that he would never forget what it was like those first few days of his marriage to Brian.

"Everything is going to be good from now on."


	44. Cohorts in Crime

It was the sun slanting across his eyes that woke Justin up. Lifting a hand to cover his eyes, Justin rolled onto his side, away from the irritating light. Blinking owlishly, Justin found himself staring at Brian who was still sleeping soundly. His features were so peaceful, so relax, and the corners of his lips were pulled in a slight smile. Brian looked so beautiful when he was asleep, everything about him so relaxed. He was at peace, something that Justin had once thought Brian would never be.

"Please do not tell me that I am going to have to spend every day of the rest of our lives reminding you not to stare at me when I'm sleeping," Brian grumbled, burrowing his face in his pillow.

"I haven't been awake long enough for it to be considered staring," Justin grinned, sliding across the already narrow space between them so that he was pressed tight against Brian's side. He pressed his lips against Brian's throat, kissing him languidly. "Happy first day of our honeymoon."

Brian chuckled, his voice thick with sleep. "You are such a dork."

"You love me, though, right?"

Turning his head, Brian touched his forehead to Justin's. "I love you very much. Always will."

"That's always good to hear 'cause I love you too," Justin murmured, snuggling himself deeper into the pillow.

"We did get married yesterday, after all."

The sound of that brought an instant smile to Justin's face. He knew that he would never get tired of hearing that. It was silly and kinda girly, but Justin really didn't care. 

"You're loving this, aren't you?"

Justin smiled broadly, hugging Brian even tighter to him. Neither of them spoke for a long while, enjoying the simple contact. The two of them were pressed so close together, their limbs in a tangle. A comfortable, wonderful tangle. And with nowhere they needed to be there was no need to get up and they spent the rest of the day drifting in and out of sleep.

~*~*~

"Do you think anyone would notice if we didn't go back to the Pitts?"

Brian was lying on the bed, his head on the pillows, left leg drawn up, right one sprawled and toes wiggling, so he couldn't see Justin who was still in the bathroom. He heard the razor clatter into the basin, though, a moment before Justin poked his head into the bedroom of their suite.

"You want to stay in Canada?"

Brian scratched at his jaw, bobbing his head slightly from side to side. "Not necessarily in Canada. Just somewhere that's not Pittsburgh. Somewhere that no one knows who we are or what happened to us. Somewhere that we can just be us."

"But we can do that back home," Justin pointed out, disappearing once again into the bathroom. He emerged a few moments later, wiping the remainder of the shaving cream from his face. "We have our own life in Pittsburgh. Sure there's some people who know about what happened with your parents and with Hobbs, but is it really that big a deal?"

"I don't want it to be, but...."

Justin slumped down on the bed, perpendicular to Brian so that his head rested on Brian's stomach. "Most people won't care once they realize just how amazingly brilliant you are. Some shitting things happened to you, but that's just it. They _happened._ Past tense. It doesn't matter."

"Until they start trying to turn me into a prodigy. The boy who overcame so much to be a success," Brian snorted, draping a hand over his face. "I don't want to be that. I just want to be Brian Kinney.... Or Brian Kinney-Taylor if you want to go that route. We haven't actually discussed that yet."

"Do you want to be Brian Kinney-Taylor?"

"I want to be whatever you decide I'm going to be."

The blonde arched an eyebrow at that, hoisting himself up onto an elbow so that he could better stare at Brian. "Nice try, Bri. I'm not gonna be the one deciding something like that. If you want to keep your name the same, fine. If you wanna hyphenate them, that's fine too. Hell, we could even switch last names."

"What do you want to do? For yourself?"

~*~*~

Justin pursed his lips, crawling forward a bit so that he was lying stretched out next to Brian. "I love you, and if I was a girl I would take your name in an instant. But I'm not. Which is a good thing or else you wouldn't have even looked at me twice. I'm not a fan of the hyphen names either. That's a little too WASP-ish even for me."

"Which leaves the two of us with our own names," Brian concluded, lifting a hand to push Justin's bangs away from his face.

"Is that what you want?"

Frowning slightly, Brian's hand dropped back to his side. "Kinney isn't that great a name, but it's mine. And once Claire gets married there won't be another Kinney. Even if I'm going to be the last one, at least the name will stick around a bit longer."

"That settles it then. We'll each keep our own names," Justin murmured, nudging himself still closer to his husband. "What our names are don't matter anyway. We still love each other and we're still married. And I don't think I'll ever get tired of saying that."

Brian's smile was immediate, a quiet chuckle sneaking its way past his lips. "If I'd known it was so easy to make you happy I'd have suggested we go to a quickie wedding chapel months ago."

"It wouldn't have been legal," the blonde pointed out. "Coming here was the only way it would be legal, my gorgeous, sexy husband."

"You're such a freak," Brian laughed, his head shaking slightly as he squeezed his eyes shut.

"I noticed that you didn't say I was a liar."

Brian merely grinned up at Justin, folding his hands behind his head. "If you want to compliment me I'm sure not going to stop you."

~*~*~

Waiting in line at the airport, Brian was once again tempted to disappear back into the city. He didn't want to go back to Pittsburgh. Niagara Falls might not have been his ideal place, but at least there he hadn't had his face plastered on the front of the newspaper there. As long as they stayed in Niagara Falls they were just a newly married couple.

"Everything will be fine when we go back home," Justin whispered, resting his chin on Brian's shoulder. "We'll be fine, we'll be happy.... Everything is going to be all right."

"You sound like you're trying to convince me as much as you're trying to convince yourself," Brian said quietly, nudging Justin with his elbow.

"I know that everything is going to be good when we get back to the Pitts," Justin repeated, shifting the weight of his carry-on bag on his shoulder. "We're going to be really happy. Beyond ecstatic.... Once we get through the wedding reception Debbie's throwing for us when we get back."

Brian's head whipped around, staring wide-eyed at the smaller man. "Wedding reception? What wedding reception?"

"The one that Debbie insisted she throw for us," Justin mumbled towards the ground.

Groaning pitifully, Brian dropped his head back between his shoulder blades. "There's no way we can sneak out of this, is there? Hide away in our apartment or something?"

The flight attendant made an announcement for special boardings. Because of his cast and crutches, that included Brian so the two of them made their way to the front of the line.

~*~*~

"Justin! Brian! Over here!"

Justin had expected to see Debbie waiting for them at the airport, what he hadn't expected was everyone else who was with her. There was a small crowd gathered, including what was probably half of Brian's soccer team. Brad, the former assistant captain of the St. James soccer team, was holding a sign that read, "Welcome Home, Newlyweds!"

"You fucker," Brian smirked when Brad tossed a handful of confetti on them.

"Love you too, big man!" Brad cheered, winding an arm around Brian's shoulders in a quick sideways hug.

Justin stood aside, chuckling as Brian continued to scowl at his friend. Brian was doing his best to hide it, but Justin knew that he was glad that their friends were throwing them a party. It wasn't something that he had ever really had before. They Kinneys weren't a family that celebrated anything, not birthdays, not holidays, nothing. It was sad, but Justin was determined that it nothing like that ever happened again. If Brian would let him get away with it, they'd be celebrating everything down to good midterm marks.

~*~*~

"I can't believe you got married before me, baby brother," Claire laughed as she pulled Brian into a tight hug as the group entered Deb's backyard. "I'm so proud of you."

Feeling someone take hold of his left crutch, Brian released it and wound his arm around his sister. He held her tightly, pressing his face into the side of her throat to buy himself a few moments because he felt himself tearing up. There was food, decorations, lawn chairs galore, and all sorts of people. The rest of his former soccer teammates, people from the diner, the grocery store where he worked, Justin's grandmother, and, of course, his sister. 

"Get over here and cut your cake!" Vic shouted from the other side of the backyard.

Chuckling quietly, Brian leaned away from his sister and took his crutch back from Justin who'd been holding it. He was still situating the crutch under his arm when he caught sight of the massive cake Vic had built for them. Three tiers of rich icing over top of what Brian hoped was some type of chocolate cake.

~*~*~

"That was so not cool, Sunshine," Brian laughed as he made a vain attempt to wipe away the icing that Justin had smeared across his face. A flashbulb went off, capturing the moment. Too late to stop the picture from being taken, Brian could only scowl and swipe the icing across Justin's cheek.

Launching himself at Brian, Justin wound his arms around his husband's shoulders. He was careful not to unbalance the taller man, but held himself as close as possible to Brian. Their kisses tasted of icing and he could feel Brian grinning into it.

"You are such a brat," Brian murmured against his cheek. "You're lucky that I love you."

"You wouldn't have married me if you didn't love me," Justin grinned, pulling himself back so that he was able to kiss Brian once again.

"That is very true," Brian whispered against his lips. "And I do love you very much."

Justin's cheeks were starting to hurt he had been smiling so much all afternoon. "I love you too, Bri."

~*~*~

After some careful coordinating with Brad, Brian managed to distract Justin from a conversation with his grandmother and Claire when the opening strains of their prom song began playing on the portable stereo.

"I don't think we'll be as graceful as we were that night...." Brian started as he handed his crutches over to his sister. "No twirling or anything fancy like that. Just a little swaying."

"Swaying is good," Justin whispered, his eyes tearing up.

_And I'd give up forever to touch you_  
'Cause I know that you'd feel me somehow  
You're the closest to heaven that I've ever been  
And I don't wanna go home right now 

Brian had lost his shoes long ago, balancing himself easily on his bare feet. He had to keep most of his weight on his left leg, but he was at least able to manage some sort of dancing even if it was a little awkward. Justin's smile was worth it, though. The artist was beaming at him, the smile becoming blurry when Brian touched his forehead to Justin's.

_And all I can taste is this moment_  
And all I can breathe is your life  
'Cause sooner or later it's over  
I just don't wanna miss you tonight 

Justin was mouthing the words along with the song, his lips moving against Brian's cheek ever so softly. Not sure that he could maintain his balance, Brian guided Justin closer to him, their bodies touching from shoulders to knees.

~*~*~

_And I don't want the world to see me_  
'Cause I don't think that they'd understand  
When everything's made to be broken  
I just want you to know who I am 

It still amazed Justin when Brian showed his romantic side. It didn't happen too often, but when Brian did decide that he wanted to be romantic it was usually grand gestures that Justin would always remember vividly. He treasured the small moments and adored the big moments all the more.

_And you can't fight the tears that ain't coming_  
Or the moment of truth in your lies  
When everything seems like the movies  
Yeah you bleed just to know you're alive 

Brian put a bit too much pressure on his right leg and stumbled, the two of them nearly tumbling to the ground. Between the two of them they managed to stay upright, laughing as Brian slumped his upper body against Justin's while he attempted to regain his balance. It was a little awkward, but it ended with Brian standing upright under his own power.

From the way Brian was moving, Justin could tell that he was up to something. Then Brian's hands tightened on his waist and Justin was barely able to back away before his husband could hoist him up off the ground like he had at prom.

"Don't even think about it, big guy," Justin chastised with a shake of his head. "You're in no shape to do something like that."

~*~*~

Pursing his lips, Brian ducked his head down. He hated that he couldn't do something as simple as spin Justin around while they were dancing. He couldn't even bend his knee or do anything except lie there when they made love. There was still at least another three weeks before the cast came off and even then it would be weeks before his knee had any real strength and there would still be months of physical therapy before he was even slightly back to normal.

"Don't worry about it," Justin whispered in his ear, leaning in close. "It's temporary."

"Ever the optimist," Brian sighed as he struggled to keep the corners of his mouth from curling upwards in a smile. Giving up, he nipped lightly at Justin's ear lobe, hoping to distract him. When he felt Justin's body tremble against his he knew that he'd accomplished his goal.

"Knock it off or get a room!"

~*~*~

It was hours later that he and Brian were finally able to go home. Debbie had insisted on loading the back of the Jeep with leftovers and the remainder of the cake. Brad and Claire were following behind in Brad's car in order to help them bring everything up and so that Claire could see the finished apartment. 

Brian had offered his sister their couch, but her adamant answer was, "No fucking way am I sleeping in a one room apartment with a pair of newlyweds. Especially when one of them is my baby brother. Besides, I have your old bedroom waiting for me at Debbie and Vic's."

Justin knew that it frustrated Brian to no end that he couldn't help. He could barely even bring up their carryon bags, the suitcases being completely out of the question. It was temporary, though. By the time school stared in September, Brian would be back to normal. The cast would be gone, the bone would be healed, and even if he couldn't play soccer anymore, Justin was confident that Brian would still find some way to rule the world. It was just what he was meant to do.

"I will be back tomorrow, baby brother, and we can go out for lunch just the two of us," Claire said as she and Brad got ready to leave.

"Tomorrow," Brian agreed as he heaved himself up off the couch without the aid of his crutches.

"Now leave," Justin ordered, sidling up next to Brian to support him in case he wavered. "We haven't gotten to christen the place now that we're married."

Brad nodded his head sharply then turned to the door. "And on that note I'm going to drive Claire back to Deb and Vic's."

~*~*~

Brian lazily stroked his fingers through Justin's damp hair, his eyes slowly blinking shut. He was blissfully exhausted, his body relaxed and sated if a little sticky.

"Stop thinking," Justin murmured, turning his face into Brian's chest to cover a yawn. "Time to sleep."

"I'm trying," Brian yawned as he burrowed his face against Justin's hair.

The blonde chuckled quietly, shaking his head. "Obviously not hard enough. Now stop thinking so that I can get some sleep."

"Stop talking and maybe I will."

"Stop thinking and I'll stop talking."

"I have to keep thinking if you're going to keep talking."

"And the only reason that I'm talking is because you're keeping me up with all you're thinking."

"How do you know that I'm thinking? Thinking is silent."

"Not when someone does it as loud as you do."

"Fucker."

"Brat."

"Sleep."

"Trying."

"Not hard enough."

"Stop interrupting me."


	45. Cohorts in Crime

Brian was panting as he entered the apartment just before seven in the morning. The October mornings were cool enough, but he was still covered in sweat from his five mile jog. He would have liked to be able to jog further, but his doctor kept reminding him not to push himself too soon. Brian had tried pointing out that it had been five months since he'd been shot to which he'd been informed that the bone still wasn't fully healed. And, if he was honest, his leg throbbed for much of the last mile so it was just as well that he didn't go further. 

There was no sound in the apartment outside of his panting as he uncapped a bottle of water, downing it all in a single breath. Justin didn't have class till early afternoon that day and was still sound asleep. Leaving the empty bottle on the counter, Brian made his way towards the bed where Justin was hidden almost entirely beneath the comforter. There were no longer any blankets on his side of the bed because Justin had stolen them all. 

Brian toed off his shoes and sluggishly shed his damp clothes then climbed onto the bed, burrowing beneath the blankets and stretching himself out on top of Justin. Justin arched into him, still mostly asleep as his arms came up around Brian's middle. 

"You stink." 

Chuckling quietly, Brian dipped his face into the crook of Justin's shoulder, lapping at the skin. "It's called sweat. I was actually being productive while you've been drooling all over the pillows." 

"I haven't been drooling," the blonde grumped, momentarily tightening his hold around Brian's waist. 

"Well you certainly haven't been productive." Brian smirked, nipping lightly at the fleshy bit of Justin's shoulder. "You should come with me on one of my jogs." 

"I'd rather not. You run too far and too fast. I'm out of shape," Justin admitted, yawning. "Now either do something or get off me." 

Beginning at Justin's throat, Brian kissed a trail down Justin's torso, pausing at his left nipple to toy with the ring pierced through it. He knew exactly what he was doing, just how sensitive it was, using it to his advantage as he attempted to turn Justin into a quivering mass of flesh. It was a game they'd played more times than he could count, but was still never boring. Feeling momentarily chilled as the cool air blew over his skin, Brian pulled the comforter up over his head, creating a cocoon over himself as he toyed with Justin's body. It never ceased to amaze him that he could know someone's body as well as he did Justin's. He knew the location of every freckle, indentation, and each and every spot that made him moan. 

~*~*~ 

Justin had woken up as soon as he heard the front door open. He hadn't been fully awake, not completely realizing just what was going on only hearing the noises. He wasn't completely awake until right Brian laid himself on top of him. Justin adored that weight. Brian always felt so wonderfully heavy on top of him, pressing him into the mattress, or the couch, or whatever surface they were currently fucking each other against. 

He laughed outright when Brian disappeared underneath the comforter. That laughter very soon faded into moans as Brian laved his tongue along the length of his right clavicle. With the very tip he swirled a path along to that same nipple, circling the areola several times before allowing his tongue to skim the peaked surface. The hot air he puffed over top immediately afterwards had Justin shivering from head to foot. 

Fumbling for a few moments, Justin was able to grab onto the edge of the comforter, disappearing beneath it so that he could play a more active part in Brian's seduction of him. Brian seemed to have expected that because he slid further down Justin's body almost immediately, out of reach for Justin to partake in any teasing activities. 

"You are a very devious man," Justin groaned, arching as Brian's tongue dipped into his navel. "Remind me again why I married you?" 

"Because you're madly and passionately in love with me," Brian chuckled before touching an open-mouthed kiss to Justin's belly button. "And because I adore you just as much." 

Brian rested his chin against Justin's hip then, grinning up at him. There was nothing hindered about the smile. It was full and open and so beautiful. Momentarily forgetting about what they were doing, Justin trailed a fingertip along the side of Brian's cheek and then across his lower lip. Brian sucked the digit into his mouth, teasing it with his tongue in ways that Justin would rather have been doing to his cock. 

"If you plan on doing this I'd suggest you hurry up. You've got class soon," Justin murmured as he lifted his other hand to Brian's cheek. 

"I've got time." 

"Not much." 

"I would if you'd stop talking." 

~*~*~ 

The diffused light that seeped through the comforter made Justin look truly wanton as he laid with his legs spread wantonly. And as much as Brian would have wanted to spend the entire morning worshiping his body, Justin was right. He had class at 8:30 and had to leave sooner rather than later if he was going to make it to campus on time. 

Nudging himself closer, Brian lifted Justin's hips up, resting the blonde's ass upon his thighs. Justin's hand was sneaking out from under the comforter to reach for the tube of lube that was always on the nightstand. Something thumped onto the ground, Brian figuring that it was one his books since it was too loud to be one of Justin's sketchbooks. 

"Nice one, Sunshine," Brian smirked as he was handed the small tube, earning him a pinch to his thigh. His right leg twinging slightly, Brian transfered the bulk of his weight to his left, taking away some of the pressure. 

~*~*~ 

Justin stuck his tongue out at Brian's comment, but before he could say anything there was a sudden gush of cool lube shooting into him. His hips arched, thigh muscles locking briefly as Brian slipped a finger into his hole. Brian stretched him slowly, languidly drawing the moments out. Justin was tempted to protest, but couldn't find the necessary breath to do so. He gasped out a sudden breath when Brian quickly replaced his fingers with the tip of his cock. It was a slow burn, Brian drawing that first thrust out as long as possible. 

Staring up at Brian, Justin watched the emotions flittering across the brunette's features. The sweat from his jog mingled with the sweat from their love making, his eyes never once leaving Justin's face. It was an incredibly intense look, as though Brian was trying to stare into him. Justin met his gaze, unwavering, angling his hips to bring them both the greatest amount of pleasure. 

And while both of them would have preferred to make it last as long as possible, Brian had to get ready for school. Still, that did not stop Brian from taunting him with several slow, drawn out thrusts that made Justin's toes curl. He wound his hips up around Brian's waist, trying to speed up the pace, but Brian was having none of it. 

"This isn't a quick hard fuck in the shower. This is early morning pleasure sex." 

~*~*~ 

Brian only ended up being five minutes late for his first class. Not bad considering he'd also received a blow job in the shower courtesy of his favourite blonde. Sliding into his traditional seat in the back row, Brian fished out a spiral ring notebook and pen before taking a sip of his coffee. He wasn't a fan of morning classes, but it was the only time the into to Western Philosophy class he'd wanted to take was offered. It would be good practice if he did end up going into advertising since they had debates at the end of each week. So far he had always managed to get the last word. 

"Now that you've arrived, Brian, you can give us your opinion on Plato's ideas of censorship for his Republic." 

~*~*~ 

Deftly avoiding a pair of grabby hands, Justin as he brought the dirty dishes back towards the kitchen. On the days he didn't start class until he afternoon he usually worked a shift at the diner unless he had a project due. 

"Someone looks thoroughly fucked this morning," Debbie chuckled as she filled a cup of coffee for a customer who was sitting at the counter. "Was Brian late for his class this morning?" 

Justin arched an eyebrow. "I thought Vic was supposed to have a talk with you about butting in on our sex life." 

"The spoilsport," she grumbled, handing over the coffee with a smile. "I can't live vicariously through him and now you and Brian. It just isn't fair." 

"What about that detective? He seemed interested enough." 

Debbie got incredibly flustered, immediately going off to take orders from a table that was already waiting for their food. Justin smirked then reached into his pocket when his cellphone began to ring. Glancing at the call display, a small instantly tugged at his lips. 

"Hey, babe. I didn't make you late, did I?" 

~*~*~ 

Walking out of his class, Brian already had his cellphone out and was dialing Justin's number. Readjusting his bag on his shoulder, he waited for Justin to pick up on the other end. The line clicked on the other end and then, 

"Hey, babe. I didn't make you late, did I?" 

"Define late?" Brian countered, nodding at the wave he received from one of his classmates. 

Justin groaned, and Brian could clearly imagine him scrunching up his features. "You were late. Sorry about that." 

"You don't hear me complaining, do you? I only missed the recap from last class. Nothing important." He smiled apologetically at his professor who was leaving through the other door and continued towards the exit that was closest to his next class. "So what are we doing for dinner tonight? Do I need to pick anything up?" 

"We still have that lasagna in the freezer if you wanna take that out when you get home," Justin suggested. "Or there's the leftover stir fry." 

"Lasagna," Brian said immediately, nodding his head even though Justin couldn't see him. "Or do you think Deb and Vic will let us mooch of them tonight?" 

"We're mooching off them tomorrow so it's lasagna, stir fry, or you cook something." 

"Yes dear," Brian said with a long suffering sigh. "I'll take the lasagna out of the freezer." 

"Good. Now I've gotta go. Customers waiting. Love you." 

"Love you," Brian echoed before disconnecting the call. Catching sight of a guy in one of his study groups, Brian shouted his name and hurried to catch up with him. Midterms were coming up and Brian needed to keep his grades up if he wanted to keep his scholarship. 

~*~*~ 

Glancing up from his sketchpad, Justin scanned the model for his life class before returning his attention to the paper in front of him. The girl had been given clothes clothes borrowed from the drama department and posed by the professor to look like one of the statues taken from the Parthenon. Rich folds for contrast and shading, impassive features, and curved body creating a living statue. The professor was circling around the room, critiquing each person's work as she went. 

"Excellent work, Justin. The folds near her hip are especially well done." 

"Thanks." With the end of his charcoal stick he pointed to the ends of the gown, making a brief circling motion. "I'm not sure about the shading here. It doesn't look quite right." 

Justin was given a few pointers and then his professor moved on to the next student. With each class Justin realized that there was so much that he didn't actually know about art. He could draw, but so could every other person in the room and most of the people who had applied the previous spring. That he got in was still a wonder to him and he was going to take advantage of the education he would receive at PIFA. 

Still, a part of him wished that he could be in New York. As good a school as the Institute was, Justin would have preferred to be able to live in New York where there was such an important art scene. A lot better than there was in Pittsburgh. 

He didn't regret that he couldn't be in New York, though. Brian was here and that was enough for him. It was only four years and then they could move there. 

~*~*~ 

Tossing the container of lemon squares he'd picked up on the way home onto the counter, Brian headed towards the couch, dumping his bag onto it. His textbooks he put on the coffee table. It was still another two hours before Justin was done class so he got the lasagna out of the freezer so that it would be defrosted and ready when the blonde got home. Glancing around inside the freezer Brian was amazed at the amount of food that was in there. Every week it seemed Deb was dropping off some container filled with a meal for them. Brian appreciated each and every one because he was far from a stellar cook and he didn't like leaving Justin to do all the cooking. So normally on his days to cook they defrosted one of Deb's survival meals or else Brian made something simplistic that was impossible to mess up. 

Within five minutes of walking through the front door, Brian was sprawled out on the couch reading through one of his textbooks. He had to work later that afternoon and needed to get as much of his homework done before as possible. He was only working until ten-thirty, but Brian wanted to spend as much time with Justin after he got home as possible. During the week they rarely got to see each other except for those few hours before they went to bed. It was frustrating that they were often on different schedules for work and school, but there was nothing that could be done about it. They had their apartment to pay for along with all of the other necessities that Brian had never realized existed before they had moved out on their own. He appreciated what Deb and Vic had done for him a lot more now that he and Justin were living in their own apartment. 

Brian was finishing the section of Aristotle he had to read for his next class when the front door opened. Realizing that a lot more time had passed than he was aware of, Brian immediately jumped off the couch, hurrying towards the kitchen to turn the stove on. 

"What was it this time?" the blonde chuckled as he entered the kitchen. 

"Ethics," Brian mumbled, unwrapping the lasagna and placing it in a pan. 

Winding his arms around Brian's waist, Justin leaned against Brian's back, chin on his shoulder. "You took it out of the freezer which is always a plus. You just might have to eat really fast if you want to eat before you leave for work." 

"Sorry," Brian sighed, leaning back against Justin's chest. He turned his head, pressing a kiss to his husband's cheek. 

Justin squeezed his waist momentarily, turning his head in order to better reach Brian's lips. "No prob. Just don't stuff your face. It's far from attractive, babe." 

~*~*~ 

Justin was curled up on the couch making notes from his art history text book when Brian got home later that night. He had already showered and was wearing only a pair of old sweats that always seemed to be slipping down when he wore them. He couldn't bear to part with them, though. And Brian seemed to enjoy them, his fingers toying with the top of the crack of Justin's ass when it became visible. Setting the book and papers aside, Justin smirked as Brian immediately crossed over to the couch, crawling onto the couch and resting his head on Justin's stomach. 

"People suck," Brian mumbled against Justin's stomach, his breath tickling the artist. 

"My poor baby. Did that mean old lady pinch your ass again?" 

Brian grumbled something unintelligible, sliding his fingers up Justin's sides. "It's an old man in a dress, Sunshine. There's a difference. Stronger fingers." 

Reaching down, Justin pointed his fingertips towards Brian's butt, intending to soothe it. The only problem was that he couldn't reach it. Brian was too long. So instead he tugged up the hem of Brian's t-shirt, ghosting his fingertips along the skin there. 

This was always Justin's favourite time of the day. The time when he and Brian were finally able to wind down and relax. They could wind down and just be together, not having to rush to do anything or be anywhere. Normally they were a little tired by the end of the day, but it was a good tired. The best kind of tired because it meant that they finally had a life of their own. One that they could be proud of. 

~*~*~ 

"Think we can sleep here tonight? 'Cause I really don't want to move," Brian yawned, snuggling in closer. He yawned again for emphasis, toeing off his sneakers which thunked loudly onto the hardwood floor. 

"You're not the one who's going to end up with a sore back," Justin reminded him, arching his hips up in an attempt to dislodge Brian. "Now up. The bed is much more comfortable." 

Brian groaned and rolled off the couch, using his left arm to keep from landing fully on his back. With his right arm he grabbed onto Justin's hips, pulling him down with him. He let out a gasp when Justin's full weight landed on him and arched his back. 

"What are you doing?" Justin squeaked, raising himself up on his elbows. "How's your back." 

"It seemed like a better idea before I did it," Brian grumbled as he shifted uncomfortably on the floor. "Now it's just hurting my shoulder blades." 

Rolling his eyes, Justin heaved himself onto his knees and held a hand out towards Brian. "Let's go, tough guy. The bed." 

"The bed," Brian groaned as he allowed himself to be pulled up. 

Once he was on his feet, Brian snagged the waistband of Justin's sweatpants with his fingertips, guiding the blonde towards the bed. Justin allowed himself to pulled along, stepping in closer so that he could wind his arms around Brian's shoulders as they shuffled towards the bed. If the walk had been any longer than it was Brian would have scooped Justin up into his arms. 

Turning his own back to the bed, Brian stretched out on the comforter and pulling Justin down on top of him. He sighed when Justin's full weight pressed him into the mattress, bringing his knees up on either side of Justin's hips. 

"You sure you don't want to come jogging with me?" Brian asked, nuzzling the underside of Justin's jaw. "It's a great adrenaline rush." 

Groaning, Justin flopped his head down onto Brian's shoulder. "I'm not going. Give it up. I'll sleep, you jog." 

"It was worth a try." 

"Can we get to the sex now?" 

"We can get to the sex now." 

"Good. Get to it." 

"Why do I have to do all the work? I just got home from work." 

"Because I love the feel of you in me." 

"So this is just about my cock then." 

"Pretty much, yeah." 

"You're lucky I love you, Sunshine." 

"Love you too, babe." 

"I thought we had a talk about you calling me babe." 

"Then you'd better punish me." 

Brian burst out laughing, framing Justin's face in his hands, and pulling him down for a deep, breath stealing kiss.

_The End  
_


End file.
